Ostrich breeding at home. Business plan for breeding ostriches

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

One of the options for running an effective own business is an ostrich farm. Breeding ostriches at home is exotic, in demand, profitable!

Why ostrich breeding?

Every year this type of farming is becoming more and more popular, because it quickly pays off and begins to make a profit after one or two years.

A businessman who decides to breed ostriches at home, in addition to studying a large amount of information from various sources, is recommended to visit several farms specializing in this type of farming. This is required to form a correct impression of the planned business and a clear idea of its optimal management.

Valuable ostrich products

Why ostrich breeding? Because it is:

Meat is tasty and he althy, a dietary product,rapidly gaining popularity due to the rich composition of trace elements, high protein content and minimal presence of fats. Reminiscent of veal in taste, ostrich meat lends itself to any type of heat treatment, perfectly absorbs marinades and spices. The yield of meat when cutting the carcass is approximately 25-30 kilograms, which is 40% of the bird. One sold carcass of an ostrich can bring 500 or more dollars, despite the fact that the price per kilogram of such meat in European and American markets ranges from 15 to 25 dollars

Fat, widely used in pharmacology and cosmetology, as an ingredient in the production of soaps, balms, ointments, creams. The most valuable is emu fat, which has bactericidal, hypoallergenic, anti-inflammatory properties. On average, an adult bird is capable of producing from 7 to 15 kilograms of such a valuable product

• Egg, the weight of which ranges from 450 to 1800 grams, which equates to 25-40 chicken counterparts. The cost of such an unusual giant, which is in no way inferior to a chicken egg and is an exotic dining table, is 10-15 dollars. In terms of shelf life, an ostrich egg is also a record holder, as it can lie in the refrigerator for up to one year. A strong shell, which is very difficult to break, is similar to porcelain and is in demand among artists as a subject for painting and engraving, and is also in demand among craftsmen who make various jewelry. Fertilized eggs are considered the most valuable; their price at poultry farmers reaches up to $ 100 apiece. In a year it mayamount to 3.5 - 8.0 thousand dollars on the basis that one female is able to lay about 70 eggs per season.



• Feather, which, along with meat, became the reason for the mass extermination of ostriches. The fashion for women's hats with a feather in 1840 impoverished South America by 1000 kg of such a valuable commodity, and in 1910 this figure increased to 370 thousand kilograms. And today, the white ostrich feather, growing on the back or in the tail of males, is eagerly bought up by fashion designers, designers, dance groups, as well as visitors to farms as a souvenir. The remaining feathers are used as pillow filler. Breeding ostriches in Russia benefits even from the sale of the feather of this bird, which brings the farmer about 10% of the total profit.

Skin - moisture-resistant, elastic, with a high service life (over 30 years), is in great demand among designers and is the material for the manufacture of elite models of bags, wallets, shoes, gloves, belts, purses and cowboy shoes popular with Americans. Ostrich skin, comparable in quality to snake and crocodile skin, cannot be faked. Selling the skin of one ostrich, the price of which varies from 200 to 300 dollars per piece, fully pays for all the costs of breeding poultry

Adult bird is also an important part of a farmer's income. As a rule, breeding chicks and individuals are sold, which can later be used to breed future offspring. A five-day-old chick in Russia costs about $100, a month-old ostrich can be bought for $200dollars, a pair of adult ostriches will cost 3.5 thousand and more

African ostrich is a favorite of farmers

The African ostrich is the largest breed (weight 100 - 160 kg, height - about 3 meters), due to its unpretentiousness in content, it is grown in more than 50 countries around the world. This bird is able to endure high and low temperatures. The speed developed while running reaches 50 km/h.

Emus, whose farming is less developed than African ostriches, do not require special care. It is important to know the behavior of this bird in natural conditions, so that later the artificially created environment can be optimized for the natural environment familiar to such exotic creatures.

Brief description of poultry keeping

In winter, the bird can be kept in unheated rooms on deep litter, for 6-month-old young animals on cold days, the room should warm up to a temperature of 12-18 degrees. The productive season for the African ostrich is from March to October. The egg production of one female per season ranges from 50 to 80 eggs, the weight of which is 1.3-1.8 kg. The incubation period of young animals, which hatch at the same time, is 45 days. The ostriches that have appeared have a weight of up to 1 kilogram with a height of 20-25 centimeters. Females reach puberty at 18-24 months, males at 24-30 months.

Feeding ostriches

Ostriches, being an omnivorous bird, eat what nature gives. Preference is given to vegetation (grass,leaves, fruits, roots). They also do not disdain various animals, birds, small insects and lizards. In general, the poultry diet should consist of 50% green fodder, 30% combined fodder, 20% - at the discretion and ability of the farmer. Adult birds and young birds older than a year need to be fed 2 times a day, young birds up to a year - at least 3-4 times.

On farms, birds with an average daily diet of 3 kg of feed receive:

• Green food (clover, rapeseed, alfalfa, quinoa, white and fodder cabbage, spinach, corn and cereal silage, mustard, nettle, beet, carrot, mulberry leaves).
• Roughage (clover hay, alfalfa, meadow grasses, soybeans, seradella and cereal straw).
• Root vegetables, fruits and vegetables (pumpkin, radish, cucumbers, carrots, beets, apples, watermelon, bananas).
• Cereals (corn, barley, oats, wheat, rye, millet, sorghum, sunflower).
• Feed additives (meat and bone, bone and fish meal).
• Minerals (shells, gravel, limestone, egg shells), which ostriches are very willing to find and eat with pleasure. This contributes to the normal functioning of the digestive system. By the way, the territory of the farm should be thoroughly cleaned, as ostriches do not disdain any small debris (nails, pieces of plastic).

Ostrich breeding systems

Modern ostrich breeding adheres to three main systems on which the breeding of these birds is based:

• Intense. Breeding andthe content of ostriches is similar to the stall care of livestock on livestock farms. Birds are kept in a small area in conditions of full support of their livelihoods by the farm staff, which has a positive effect on the development of livestock, and especially young animals. Close contact and regular grooming allow the bird to be tamed and easily controlled. In an intensive system, eggs are removed from nests and incubated, resulting in high reproduction rates, allowing up to 80 eggs per year from one hen.



• Extensive. Breeding an ostrich is as close as possible to natural conditions: the bird itself is more or less worried about itself. Females, due to free movement, can mate with different males, resulting in a marked increase in the number of fertilized eggs.
• Semi-intensive - combines the positive qualities of the above systems and is recommended for beginner poultry farmers. Here, there is one female for one adult male.

Where to start? Business plan

Ostrich breeding in Ukraine and Russia is a promising business, because the unpretentiousness of this bird in care and the high cost of ostrich breeding products will pay off the new business quickly enough, starting to bring tangible profits in a fairly short period of time.

The first step in starting your own farming business will be finding a suitable area for keeping ostriches. How to start breeding ostriches? The first steps are to set up a farm for themmaintenance and purchase of young animals or adults.

Of course, ostrich breeding will require certain financial investments, but they are worth it, as they will pay off in the first year of ostrich farming. Although the ostrich is an unpretentious bird, nevertheless, the key to a successful undertaking in the ostrich business will be to create the most comfortable conditions for it.

Expensive expense item - farm construction

Significant costs will require the construction of a farm. The cost of the investment will depend on local conditions, personal and rental arrangements, prices for building materials and the work of hired people.

Will need to build:

• closed insulated room, bright and spacious, with an approximate area of 150 sq. meters to maintain an average herd of about 30 adult heads: one individual should have at least 50 square meters. meters of land;
• 1500 sq. meters;
• fencing;
• communications that keep the farm going.

It is imperative to pay attention to the remoteness of the farm from noisy highways, industries with hazardous emissions; wind protection and relief are also important. Good access roads and good water supply are essential conditions for the smooth operation of the farm.

Finding less expensive ways

Farmers who own land with buildings on it will be in a winning position.

Another way with minimalan investment of funds will be to search somewhere in the outback for an abandoned pigsty or cowshed, surrounded by pastures and water. Of course, the premises will require repairs (heating, sewerage and ventilation) and the purchase of equipment, but this option will save a significant part of the money that can be invested directly in the purchase of livestock.

Purchase of 4 adult families and 6 - 8 females will cost 30 - 40 thousand dollars. You can buy grown chicks, which will significantly reduce the investment of funds, but delay the time period for receiving the first profit.

Breeding is the right way to a he althy livestock

From the first days, special attention will need to be paid to breeding work, periodically updating the herd with good productive birds and culling sick and unsuitable individuals. When forming families, it will be necessary to take into account the mutual sympathy of ostriches, because the mechanical connection of birds may be unproductive and will cause reduced egg production.

You will definitely need to get an incubator, the cheapest of which, designed for 45 eggs, costs $1,500.

To feed ostriches, you will need to buy domestic compound feed for laying hens, including vitamin and mineral supplements. Also, the bird will be happy to consume oats, corn, barley, millet, bran, hay and straw. In summer and autumn, the bird can be transferred to green juicy food: alfalfa and clover.

With a large number of birds (500 birds and above)it is expedient to set up our own feed production, which will only reduce the cost of keeping ostriches. Own feed can be sold to neighboring farms.