Pull the tail of the chick with the chick standing or being held by another person and apply pressure to the cloaca pushing lightly from the bird outward. Once you turn the ostrich's cloaca or vent slightly inside out, you should be able to see if there is a phallus present on the chick.
Repeat the process with several ostrich chicks if possible to better recognize the differences and to master the steps for chick "vent sexing. You may also do recombinant DNA testing using a blood, feather or eggshell sample on birds any age and the test is over 99 percent effective.
Many ostrich farmers prefer DNA testing and it's quickly replacing the more difficult physical method. Ostriches mate around three to four years of age and several hens will mate with one dominant male.
When he wishes to mate, the dominant male performs an elaborate mating dance to impress the dominant female. He bows or crouches down, stretches his wings and displays his plumage, shaking both his wings and tail, then alternates putting each wing forward.
If the female is interested, the two will mate. Then other females may mate with the dominant male or with other transient males. When the female is ready to lay eggs, the male digs out a nest in the ground. The dominant female will lay between 7 and 10 eggs in the center of the nest. Other females will place their eggs around those of the dominant female. Both male and female ostrich take turns sitting on the eggs until they hatch, after about 35 to 45 days.
If a predator -- such as a lion , cheetah, hyena or crocodile -- threatens the eggs, the male will chase and distract the intruder or attack it with a powerful, deadly kick while the female continues to sit on the eggs. Later, once the eggs hatch, both sexes care for the chicks. At birth, chicks can be as big as chickens. The males and females share the responsibility of taking care of the young, according to the San Diego Zoo.
During an attack, the male tries to lure the predator away from the chicks while they run for cover with the female. By six months, a chick is almost at its full-grown height; at 3 or 4 years, it will reach maturity. An ostrich can live 50 to 75 years. Ostriches are in the same order as cassowaries, emus, kiwis and rheas. The Somali ostrich is listed as vulnerable , though their population is unknown.
It is believed that they are on a rapid decline. It may seem amazing that an ostrich's thin legs can keep their large bodies upright. Their legs are perfectly placed so that the body's center of gravity balances on top of its legs.
Their thin legs give them great speed and maneuverability, too. They can run up to 40 mph Contrary to popular belief, ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand , but they do lie down with their heads against the ground when they feel threatened. It only looks like the ostrich has buried its head because its head and neck blend in with the color of the sand.
Ostriches fight with their feet. They kick forward because that's the direction in which their legs bend, according to the American Ostrich Association.
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