With the use of modern husbandry techniques and correct management, the overall production of one female ostrich during her "economic life" can reach 72 tonnes of meat, 2 000 m 2 of leather and 1450 kg of feathers. The policy on Ostrich farming in Kenya is at the draft stage. Conservation of genetic resource. Most of the ostrich farms in Kenya are located within a 200 kilometer radius from Nairobi. However, there is contradicting information about their origin as palaeontologists displayed evidences that ostrich farming … The Ostrich Farm in Nairobi is a great place where you can get up close and personal with ostriches. In turn, Kawka et al. You approach a wild ostrich at your peril. It has a powerful forward kick and vicious toenails. If not for ostrich farming, which began in 1838, then the world’s largest bird would probably be extinct. The Ostrich Farm is also about 30 minutes away from the Kenya International Airport. Ostrich (Struthio camelis) belongs to a flightless bird family (Ratite), the birds belonging to this family are the largest ones compared to all the other bird species.Ostrich farming originated in the 1860s in South Africa (Hastings, n.d). Ostrich “farming” has to date proved particularly popular in Kenya and is only attempted to a lesser extent in Tanzania. According to the Maasai Ostrich Farm in Kenya, ‘a well-fed eight to ten month-old juvenile ostrich produces 45-50 kg of meat on-the-bone and sells for US$12 per kg. By comparison, Kimwele and Graves [19] indicated, that the value of mean heterozygosity He for a ostrich populations living in Nairobi National Park and ostriches kept on farms in Kenya, ranged from 0.40 to 0.79. • Do not need big areas to graze like cattle • Farmers can pay school fees using income from sale of milk/manure • Products fast and easy to sell • Goats sell easily for meat Many of the enterprises involved still collect eggs from the wild under licence (and thus, strictly, "ranch" rather than "farm") but there have also been successes in captive propagation. According to the Maasai Ostrich Farm in Kenya, ‘a well-fed eight to ten month-old juvenile ostrich produces 45-50 kg of meat on-the-bone and sells for US$12 per kg. [17], examining the genetic variability within and among 3 Source of revenue through tourism. Ostrich farming is under the Kenya Wildlife Service and a permit from them is required. The wild Somali ostrich found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda has a red neck and legs. In the wild, both the birds and the eggs are preyed upon by lions, hyenas, and other animals. It was converted to a PDF file, 10/2001 Ostrich Production Dr. Joan S. Jefferey Extension Veterinarian Texas Agricultural Extension Service The Texas A&M University System Commercial ostrich farming began in South Africa more than 150 years ago and is now practiced in Israel and the United Sates as well. The largest of the farms is Maasai Ostrich Farm (MOF), which was established in 1991 (Shanawany and Dingle, 1999). in the studied ostrich population were relatively high. Humans are encroaching on ostrich habitats. Ostrich skin is a premium product in leather industry. Ostrich farming in Kenya started in 1989 as a response to global demand for ostrich products. This production ability makes ostrich farming an extremely viable and highly economical proposition for developing countries. 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