Jan 11
23
Infrastructure Required for Ostrich Farming
When starting an ostrich farming venture, it is important to identify the different elements of the ostrich farming value chain , and to assess which part or parts of the value chain your activity is going to include.
Ostrich Farming Industrial Infrastructure
The graphic is a simplified illustration of the various components that ostrich farming businesses depend on for their success. The ostrich farming sector is shown in green. When building a business plan for an ostrich farm it is necessary to establish if the items in blue are available in your area.
The difference in the A and B above is the introduction of the co-ordination element. “A” is a supply chain and “B” is a value chain. A value chain can be a farmer’s cooperative, it can be a single business that is vertically integrated, it maybe a number of individual businesses simply working in collaboration – the important factor is that the business or businesses recognise the interdependency of each element in achieving success and optimising profits for all.
If starting an ostrich farm (activities in green), assess the local activities (shown in blue), and establish their terms of business – such as the details you need to establish in order to build and cost your business plan.
- Feed – feed controls the health and production of your livestock….check
o Availability of commercial rations – types of rations, productive value of those rations and cost
o If not available, check the ingredient availability in your area and the costs of those ingredients.
- Slaughter
o Is there a local company purchasing and slaughtering birds and if so:
- What are their requirements for bird weight
- Bird standards
- Numbers they are willing to purchase
- Payment terms
o If no local company purchasing and slaughtering birds
- Is there a local slaughter house you can work with to slaughter and process birds
- What are their terms
- Will they slaughter and process the birds according to your requirements
- Will you have to build your own slaughter and processing?
The warning here is that if any one aspect of the supporting infrastructure is not in place, do not spend money on raising birds unless you have sufficient capital to develop the missing elements. Every day that a slaughter bird is on farm past their maturity becomes extremely costly and erodes potential profit when ostrich farming.
Before starting an ostrich farming venture, you need to fully evaluate the work required, for example you may need to do the daily farming including mixing your own feed and you also may need to slaughter and process those birds, as well as sell their produce.
