Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-07-25

BIRDS are taken from them as soon as
Matched there is great danger Of their
being trampled to death.
This lack of parental feeling is not so
much q failing of the heart as of the
head. l am convinced. The ostrich is as
senseless an animal as exists. So far as
/ am able to judge they are absolutely
and entirely without brains.
You can teach them nothing. and it
makes no difference how long you feed
them or how kind you are. they never
even get to recognize you. They know
their mate. and that is, / believe, as far
as their power of recognition goes.
While l have heard the men on the
farm say they didn't even nave sense
enough to follow p leader. j have noticed
that # a bird in one pen began to run,
pretty soom every bird on the farm was
runnins-for no apparent reason. just run
Ming. When they are in full feather they
make a pretty sight in running. as they
ao!d OUT their wings and so show the
beautiful plumes underneath.
They do take pride in their plumage.
When they are first plucked they become
very stlky and seem to wish to hide them
selves. If a p!ucked bird Is turned with
the unplucked they fall on him tooth and
nail and the poor fellow is made to suffer
for his loss.
"Cstriches are plucked every eight
months. l use the word plucked, though
the feathers are seldom pulled. When
ripe they are cut. and later when the old
quilts have become perfectly dry they are
drawn from the sockets by means of a
pair of tweezers. This is not the slightest
bit painful to the bird and there is no
blood drawn. -:
"A healthy ostrich, and / never saw n
grown bird that was not healthy. will
Nlei" IRON SO to $50 worth of feathers q
year. AS year old birds are now selling
in Arizona for 500 apiece for the South,
African breed and $50 more for Nubians.
you can Judge the yearly profits on a.
pair of good breeders. ;;
The ideal food is alfalfa, with a l..tle
corn at night. For the chicks before they,
are able to pick for themselves alfalfa,
leaves are mixed with wheat bran. I'm
III the chicks arc six months old they
shouid DC housed at night and kept out of
the rain or damp. After that time thew
are as nardy as any one could wish. and
Two months later are ready for their first
plucking.
of course this first growth of feathers
Is not first class. but 1t has a good mar.
ket value. And every plucking thereaf ter
becomes more valuable until at maturity.
when the bird is about three and n half
years Old. or the mating time. Until this
time 1t is difficult to tell the males from
the females.
When full grown the male birds ara
oiGSh Win Whlte wings, while the females
are ownish gray. or what is known I'M
the feather trade as natural. The Nubiani
bird differs from the South African I'M
having a pink neck. 1t is larger and also
much handsomer in general appearance. !,
so far as the quality of the feathers Is
concerned l am sure It will make no DIFF
ference. Commercially there are ten or
more grades of feathers. but quality de-
ponds on the breed of the birds and the
way they have been handled more than,
on the climate.
The ostrich plume as seen on hats has,
gone through many washings, bleachings.
end curlings after leaving the farm. on
the South African birds the plumes are
perfectly straight. but the Nubians have
curled plumes by nature. That is the
chief reason for their great beauty. ,
Il had at first a great desire to make n,
pet of an ostrich. but after Investigation
gave it up. When I found that they could
not be taught to cross the road and that,
the ones we see IN harness nave to be,
driven between two lines of wire fencing.
to prevesat them from boiting was con-.
WINGED there vas no use in trying to train
them for the house.
"A a business / understand and eniov,
sona!ity of the ostrich is concerned-why.i
they haven't any sense: they are utterly
silly. How car they have a personality
They are Just big, healthy IDIOTS in the,
shape Of birds"