Apr 11
8
Influence of Meat Yields on Ostrich Farming Profitability
For many years the target live weight for slaughter birds in ostrich farming was set at 95kgs with an expected carcass weight of around 42kgs. The slaughter age was set at 14 months – this is in excess of 425 days. The ostrich meat yield from those carcasses was expected to be around 25kgs, despite their potential for meat yields double that figure.
There were a number of reasons for this, but the main reason was the belief that ostrich skins could not be of marketable quality from younger birds. Many have now produced ostrich skins of extremely acceptable marketable quality in many fewer months of production provided the management systems and nutrition were in place. Increasing ostrich meat yields, producing ostrich skins acceptable to the market and finishing those birds in half the time change the economics of raising ostrich dramatically.
Meat yield makes very little difference to the costs of slaughtering and processing an ostrich. The graphic illustrates the significant reduction in processing costs per kilo of meat when meat yields are increased.
Now that we know that an ostrich, reared under optimum management systems, can be finished in half the current expected time and produce meat yields significantly better than the current industry average one can see the dramatic improvement this makes to the economics of rearing and processing ostrich.
Over the years comments have been made about how grass is “free feed”, “citrus pulp” is cheap and many other similar comments. Nothing is free or cheap in commercial livestock production.
The land the animal is grazed on carries a capital cost and a maintenance cost- grass requires management. Grass also changes its nutrient values throughout the season, with the highest nutrient levels in the spring. There are many feed ingredients that come at a low cost per tonne – but they can prove extremely expensive if they provide insufficient nutrients to enable that animal to be healthy and produce meat. What is the cost of the feed to get the animal to slaughter weight when they overrun by a few days – let alone months – as the current experience in ostrich production?
Genetics also play an important role. Certain genetic lines have the ability to grow larger and faster than others and some, even on the best nutrition and management systems, will never have the ability reach those higher meat yields. These are the aspects to watch and include in your breeding program.
Some years ago a senior manager of a major ostrich producer referenced needing to improve the genetics before being able to introduce production feed and management systems. This is backwards to what is required. The production feed and management systems have to be in place first for the best of the genetic performance to be observed in ostrich farming and all commercial livestock production.
