OSTRICH

Wild ostriches roamed the African continent for centuries. These animals featured in Egyptian hieroglyphs and rock art, their feathers adorned the helmets of Roman warriors and North African tribes used the leather as shields. Initially, feathers for Europe’s fashion industry were harvested from wild ostriches, but in the 1800s ostriches were domesticated and so farming and cross-breeding of the ostrich species began. Initially, only ostrich feathers were valued and used for fashion items from the 1860s to the 1940s, but later also the leather and meat of ostriches were utilised.

The ostrich is native to Africa and the largest bird on the planet. It cannot fly but can run up to 70 km/h when threatened. Males (roosters) have black and white feathers, grow to 2.4 and 2.7m tall and weigh up to 150kg, but females (hens) adorned with grey and white plumage, are slightly smaller.

There are various ostrich species in the world. These include the Somali ostrich, Masai ostrich also known as the red-neck and the North African or Barbary ostrich which is the largest of all ostrich species. The southern ostrich is the original wild ostrich found in South Africa.
During the early years of ostrich farming in South Africa, farmers imported the North African ostrich to improve the local South African ostrich. They produced the South African black neck ostrich and this species is considered a composite breed which is not regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The South African black neck ostrich is often recommended for new ostrich farmers and is widely farmed in South Africa as they produce superior long feathers and good leather and meat.

Why buy an Ostrich

Most of our clients purchase our ostriches for pets or security. There is nothing more deadly than a fully grown male ostrich around your house, office or warehouse at night. A fully grown ostrich can crack the skull of a lion and disembowel a human. Trespassers will think twice before entering your property or steeling your livestock.

Before you buy an ostrich as a pet please keep in mind that they will always be a wild animal and must be handled with respect and caution.

Colour Variants

There are 3 different colours, brown, black and white and is generally referred to as ‘The Black Neck Ostrich.

Brown the normal colour and after 12 months the male’s body will turn black, neck and legs grey and their shins and beak will get a pink reddish colour. The females will turn grey with grey legs and neck.

White and black colours are scares. A very small percentage of the chick’s hatch in these beautiful colours and that is why they cost more than the brown chicks. If one breeds white on white or black on black, one will have more coloured chicks than the normal brown. Please note that a very small percentage of the white and black will stay totally white or black.

Raising your Ostrich successfully

Ostrich chicks grow 300mm a month and most of the females will outgrow the males in the first 12 months and for this reason they need well balanced feed with high protein and calcium otherwise they could encounter problems with their legs.

We are the only business in Gauteng that stocks proper Ostrich Feed, which will give the ostrich everything it needs to grow successfully into an adult bird. Pre-Starter, Starter and Grower are very hard to come by in Gauteng and surrounding. Ostrich Maintenance and Ostrich Breeder are freely available at most feed stores, but your beginner feeds are not.

We will give you one on one training to raise them, and we have everything on hand for you to be successful.

Jacobs Poultry is a ONE STOP SHOP for all your Ostrich Needs.

Sales & Orders

We sell ostriches from day old to six months and if we do not have your preferred age in stock then we will raise them for you.

Once your order is confirmed we will send you an invoice with our banking details and a 50% deposit is required to secure your order.

You can either collect or we can deliver your chicks with Pet Courier at an additional charge.