 Alain_Smeets' Oudtshoorn Travelogues | | | | Title [Click to view] | Travel Year | Pictures | | The Cango Caves | October, 1998 |  6 | | Our experience in an Ostrich farm | October, 1998 | 7 |
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| Page Views: 532 Last Visit to Oudtshoorn: October, 1998 | Our experience in an Ostrich farm by Alain_Smeets - last update: Aug 31, 2003 |
| A female ostrich (photo Thieu) |
|  | After the Caves we went to an ostrich farm, Highgate a little bit outside Oudtshoorn. We were shown around in a very small group, we tree and an older English couple, I think 70+. With a group of 5 you get a much better chance to see everything. We learned a lot. And we feed an ostrich, touch one, and stand on their eggs. |
For standing on their eggs, we had to get in their cage. A wide piece of land surrounded by wire. And we had to walk there between those ostriches. All two of them, haha. There we also could touch and feed them. It was a little frightening because their snout is on a higher level then our eyes. And you think about what can happen when they want to put their snout between your eyes. | | | a male ostrich (photo Thieu) |
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| Me feeding an ostrich (photo Thieu) |
| | Then we were brought to a smaller cage for a demonstration, and there I even sat on one. Thieu and Jean didn’t and that older couple also declined. But the older lady hugged one instead. But when they asked me if I wanted to ride one, I declined. Not because I was afraid, but we had to ride that bird in their cage and this cage-floor was covered with..... ***, yes and when they throw you off, you land in the ***, literal and that is not nice for the clothing. |
Just after that, one ostrich started running to another, yes a male run to an female and they gave a nice demonstration of the love making of the ostrich family and the highlight was lot of moaning and groaning. It seemed that they do that 7 to 9 times each day. The guide told us that and that they are embarrassed by it (he was joking off course). For an ostrich meal we were to late, because we had no reservation. | | | Our guide with an ostrich (photo Thieu) |
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| Me on an male ostrich (photo Thieu) |
| | We saw an ostrich race with real jockeys and then it was time to go back to the gate again. Now we still have a long drive ahead to Plettenberg Bay. |
Some facts about an ostrich:
* Males have black and females grey feathers.
* The males sit during the night on the eggs and the female during the day.
* The brood time for an egg is 42 days.
* An Ostrich lays approximately 12 eggs.
* One egg weighs 1,5 kilo.
* It takes about 1,5 hour to hard-boil an egg.
* The world record to eat a hardboiled egg is 6 minutes and 40 seconds (1985/1986).
* An ostrich egg contains 24 chicken eggs.
* The stomach of an ostrich contains about 1,5 kilo stones. These help the degusting of the food.
* Each year one can gather 1,5 kilo of ostrich feathers.
* A grownup ostrich weighs about 100 kilo.
* An ostrich skin is recognizable by the feather markings on the surface.
* An ostrich can hold a speed of 80 km/h over a short distance. | | | The ostrich race (photo Thieu) |
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| Alain_Smeets' Oudtshoorn Travelogues | | | | Title [Click to view] | Travel Year | Pictures | | The Cango Caves | October, 1998 | 6 | | Our experience in an Ostrich farm | October, 1998 | 7 |
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 Comments for Alain_Smeets about Oudtshoorn | | | | |
Myndo Fri Aug 27, 2004 11:02 UTC
So... did you ride your ostrich? :-) | myriam_c Tue Mar 2, 2004 22:30 UTC
Ik ben geen liefhebber van grotten, maar deze lijken me toch wel de moeite. | Bohemedream Thu Nov 20, 2003 02:59 UTC
Cool facts about our ostriche friends !!! | Kate-Me Tue Nov 11, 2003 06:29 UTC
Thanks for the interesting and helpful Ostrich info Alain! |
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