2. Introduction
The nutrients requirement for ostrich and the standards
are not well established.
The day - old ostrich chicks up to 13 weeks of age may be
fed on chick starter which is high in crude protein.
At 13 weeks of age the birds should be switched to grower
feed and continued until 40 weeks of age.
From 40 weeks to slaughter, the ostriches should be fed on
maintenance diet.
The birds meant for breeding purpose should be fed with
breeder ration from 40 weeks of age.
3. Digestive system of ostrich
● Crop is absent in ostrich.
● The ostrich have two chambered stomach.
● First chamber is proventriculus which secrets
digestive juice.
● Second chamber is gizzard which grinds up the
food with the help of small stones swallowed by
ostrich.
4. Nutritional peculiarities
● Ostiches are monogastric herbivores.
● They also eat insects, rodents, and lizard occasinolly.
● They have no teeths so they directly swallow the food and grinded in gizzard
● They can go without water for many days using metabolic water.
● They can survive by loosing 25% of their body weight by dehdration.
● In commercial poultry farming you can fed them normal poultry feed
● They require about 20-24% of CP , 12-19% of CF, 1.2-2% of calcium, 0.6-1%
of phosphorus
NOTE- During breeding period feed formula should be same but 2.8% of extra calcium
should be added.