Ostriches bought online-inspired now roam a Said Sadiq garden

SULAYMANIYAH — A man in Said Sadiq district has turned part of his garden into an ostrich farm, raising 22 birds over the past several months after videos and pictures he saw online drew him to the animals.

Karim Hama Nader bought the ostriches as chicks in Bazian, also in Sulaymaniyah governorate, for 105,000 dinars each (about $62 at the street rate). They weighed 2 kilograms when he bought them and now weigh more than 20 kilograms, he said.

Nader lives on the land where he keeps the birds and feeds them grass and wheat every day. Ostriches need clean, enclosed space, especially early in life, he said, and young birds must be kept warm because they cannot tolerate the cold.

None of the birds is laying eggs yet because they are still young. Ostrich hens usually start laying at about 2 years old, according to guidance from the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Nader also keeps turkeys, geese, several breeds of chicken, sheep and goats in the garden, and uses well water for the land and the animals.

He said he has always liked raising animals, from sheep and cattle to ostriches. He finds ostriches fairly easy to keep because they grow quickly and eat many kinds of food.

He first meant to keep the ostriches for himself but may sell them eventually because of what they are worth, he said. He urged others to try raising the birds, saying ostrich meat can fetch up to 70,000 dinars a kilogram (about $42).

Nader said he does not draw a government salary and lives on his own work. He encouraged others to become self-reliant and make their own living.