Apr 11
24
Benchmark Production Targets in Ostrich Farming
Establishing benchmark production targets are an important component of any business and equally important in ostrich farming. What is benchmarking?
Benchmarking is a standard by which something can be measured or judged.
Ostrich Farming Terminology and Economic Measurements of Production provided definitions of the different measurements of production. Here we will discuss some benchmark production targets. If you are not achieving these benchmark figures – ask the question WHY. If you are achieving these targets – ask what is required to improve those figures.
Boneless Meat: Initially this may be 30kgs but your target should be 45kgs aiming for 50kgs.
Carcass Weight: 42kgs was considered an excellent carcass weight. Ostrich Meat has a photo of a 52kg carcass of a 300 day old bird with Oudtshoorn genetics. A commercial target initially will be in excess of 50kgs but in time an aim of 60+kgs should be the benchmark target.
Days to Slaughter: Prior to deregulation of their industry in 1994, South African farmers believed that 425 days were required to reach slaughter age. Their market was ostrich feathers and leather from the ostrich skins, not ostrich meat. As a meat production bird, 200 days is the benchmark target for producing quality slaughter birds. In the first years, 300 days is a good benchmark starting point.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR): The lower the number of days taken to slaughter the better the feed conversion and the faster the ostrich farmer receives a return on his investment. The table illustrates the improvements in feed conversion as days to slaughter are reduced showing the effects of improving management systems, including genetics, over a 10 year time scale.
Fertility and Hatchability: If you are not achieving 85% plus of all ostrich eggs set failing to hatch – check your production systems.
Liveweight: The target used to be 92kgs. Over the years birds with a liveweight in excess of 125kgs have been slaughtered yielding less than 25kgs of saleable meat. Birds with a liveweight below 92kgs have yielded greater than 30kgs of saleable meat. The saleable meat yield is the important figure not the liveweight at slaughter. Around 6% of the bird should be fat. Too much fat is a waste, too little will result in reduced meat yields.
Mortality: Wherever there is livestock there will always be dead stock, but this should be kept to a minimum. Any mortality should be investigated with a target below 5% from hatch to slaughter/adulthood.
Saleable Meat: ostrich meat is usually sold off the bone. A reasonable benchmark figure for all saleable meat recovered off the bone is in excess of 40kgs with 50kgs very achievable as production methods and genetics improve.
Achieving these benchmark figures are essential to sustainable a successful ostrich farming enterprise..
