Ostrich Farm

Tour of an ostrich farm. This was so much fun! Not just for the kids but the two adults that brought them. The oldest decided that he would rather capture an alligator lizard and carry it around.

The picture below is where the infirmary is. There are also little shops where you can purchase some merchandise. They have an assortment of products ranging from ostrich oil to lamps and music boxes made out of the ostriches eggshell’s. At this time though they can only do the tours by appointment and most of the buildings are closed due to the pandemic (at least that is what I am assuming). Hopefully this will be done with by the end of the year.

A lot of vetinarians do not help ostriches if they need it. The farmers have learned how to take care of them on their own. Qual Run has their own infirmary where they bring the birds to either fix a dislocated wing their wings help them feel better by removing objects from their claws.

When ostriches become cut or hurt in any way they have this ability to heal themselves with out getting infections (I could be wrong! I am going by memory and what the tour guide taught us. Feel free to do research and respond in the comments with what you learned as well). What helps  them heal is their fat!

Ostrich oil is interesting.  A person can use the oil to help relieve sunburn, put on an open wound, use on rosesea, psoriasis, and eczema to help with the symptoms of dry itchy skin and reduce the inflammation caused by those skin conditions.  A fair skinned lady or man can use the oil to help reduce sunburn from being in the sun too long. Essentially ostrich oil is comparable to emu oil.

Interesting fact ostriches are hermaphrodites. The farm has one bird that is having a hard time deciding if it prefers being a boy or a girl so it is both a mother and a father.

These birds have a brain the size of a pea, so it takes them a while years even to realize that they are able to defend themselves. This is why people are able to harness them and ride their backs for races until the age of four. After the age of four they are more defensive and intolerant so become retired. They can take on bears without a problem.

The way you can identify the sex of these animals is by looking at their legs. If the legs are red that means they are male. If the legs are grey they are female.

At the last area was the oldest so we did not get close to him. At one point two birds were walking back and forth in different caged areas, almost like a dance. Why is that? Well they were showing dominance and being territorial hence the reason why they were in separate sections.

What is their mating ritual, you ask. Well that was explained but it did not get written down. We went here on my birthday. It has been two weeks since then.

I hope you all enjoyed learning a little about the ostrich. I know I did. I actually find them intriguing. Feel free to add any information that I missed.

Thank you for stopping by and reading or just looking at the pictures.