The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-13
ABOUT osTRIcHEs.
Success of the Breeding Farms in This
Country.

The Dark Continent has always had
a monopoly of the ostrich business,
but the United States threatens to be
come a rival in this industry and may
take away the laurels from Cape Col
ony. which has been one of the great
centers for breeding these birds. The
story of their Introduction into this
country by Mr.. Edwin Cawston, of
California, is familiar to the readers
of the Scientific American.
The success of Mr.. Cawston's work
has resulted in two other ostrich
farms being established-one near
Jacksonville, Fla, and another in
Arizona. In connection with the
Florida farm is a race track, where
several horses have been broken to
harness and have paced a mile in
2;3O- Mr. H. J. Campbell, the super
intendent, has from 200 to ESQ adult
birds under his care. AS each weighs
from zoo to $50 pounds, and the head
is from six to eight feet above the
ground when the neck is fully
stretched an idea of the size of the
flock can be gained. They average
much larger than the birds shown
with menageries, as they have plenty
their legs, so to speak Their bill of
fare is not expensive When but two
or three days old the chicks display
their appetite for such delfcacies as
gravel and bits of bone, which is real
" the first "nourishment'' they take
Two or three days later they will eat
bran, grass, cabbage leaves, etc, upon
which they grow rapidly. In fact, a
healthy ostrich viii increase in size
at the rate of a foot month for the
first few months. and be large enough
to kick man over by the time it is
a year old. Many accounts have been
written of the derceness of the
African ostrich, but most Of the state
ments are exaggerated. During the
laying season the males become quite
ferOciOus, and one must be very care
aDDTOa a he
get kick which will not only knock
him senseless, but possibly wound
him badly, as each bird has upon its
feet claws which will cut ike a knife
A curious fact is that if a person
stoops over when attacked by one of
the large birds he may save himself
from the kick, as it cannot exert any
IOrce below a height of three feet
owing to the peculiar manner in which
the legs are jointed. The keepers AT
the Jacksonville farm take with them
small dogs, which will drive the larg-
est ostr1ches anywhere about the pen.
The birds realize that they cannot
harm the dogs with their feet and fear
them more than man.
OstricheS are very much like other
birds in Matching and rearing their
young. Shortly After pairing off the
two birds will begin to build a nest or
rather dig enc out of the ground. The
male bird rests his breastbone on the
ground and kicks the sand out behind
him. When one side is sufficiently
deep he turns around and operates in
a like manner, until a round hole
about four feet in diameter and one
foot deep is the result of his exertions.
Occasionally he intimates to the re-
male that help is required, and they
take turns. The hen forthwith begins
to lay an egg every other day, until
twelve or fifteen are located side by
side in this hole in the ground: then
they scatter a little sand over the tops
of the eggs to protect them from the
4 q lie f7ss1, H..
doubtless led to the supposition, given
as fact in many natural histories.
that the eggs of the ostrich are hatch
ed by the sun, unaided by the bird
As soon IS the full number Of eggs
are laid the couple share the labor of
Matching, the male bird sitting on the
eggs from about 4 o'clock in the after
noon until 9 O'Clock the following
what skill this is performed when it is
remembered that $50 to 400 pounds Of
ostrich are bearing down upon four
teen eggs. At about O'Clock in the
male ostrich. however. with remark
able intelligence. relieves the female
for an hour in the middle of the day
while she goes in search of necessary
nourishment. A pair viii follow this
schedule with regularity for forty days.
when the chicks can be heard in the
shells.
A fair sized egg weighs about four
pounds, or as much as two dozen hens
eggs. The size of the chick as it emer-
ges from the shell is wonderful 1t
does not seem as II IL could be half
as large as it really is. This is due to
the fact that the down and feathers
which cover it before it sees daylight,
spread out when it leaves the shell and
nearly double it in size
When a year old the plumage Of the
ostrich is usually large enough and fine
enough to begin plucking. which is one
Of the most difncuIt and dangerous OPP
erations of ostriculture. A few Of them
are driven into small corral, when
one by one they are pushed into a small
angular enclosure, and long, narrow
bag with a hole in the end to breathe
through, is placed over the head. Then
one man holds the bird while the oper-
ator skillfuIly clips and pulls at the