Mar 11
27
Ostrich Farming Production Targets For Ostrich Eggs
The success of any ostrich farming enterprise is based on achieving the production targets laid out in the ostrich farming business plan. Quality ostrich egg production discussed the principles for achieving quality ostrich eggs, but did not discuss numbers. Any discussion on numbers of eggs laid must always keep in mind the importance of ensuring these ostrich eggs will hatch strong chicks.
The first question is how many eggs can an ostrich hen lay in a season? The answer is zero to in excess of 100. The highest number recorded and reported in a year was 167. This number was reported in a paper presented by the US veterinarian Karen Hicks in 1992. [Ratite Reproduction, Proceedings of the Conference of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, New Orleans, pp.318-325, K.D. Hicks]
There are a number of producers in the early to mid 1990s in the United States reporting variable results of egg laying from 60 to 100 eggs with 85% + hatchability. That is proof enough that these production targets are achievable and if not achieved management has to ask why. Profitability in ostrich farming depends on understanding the many reasons.
The largest study carried out on ostrich egg production was done by Kim Bunter from the Animal Genetics and Breeding Centre, University of New England, Armidale, Australia in 2000. Bunter carried out a major international survey gaining data from over 200 ostrich producers in 35 countries. The results of that survey confirm the very low, and uneconomic, levels of production still seen today.
Bunter displayed the data as average values of all data, the average of the top 25% , and the average of the lowest 25%. That means that the top performers of the top average may have achieved even better results. She also split out those with less than 20 hens and those with more than 20 hens.
The most important figure to check is that final figure – the number of eggs required to achieve just ONE live chick at 3 months. The financial implications of these differences are very significant. It clearly makes financial sense to have +/- 1 ½ eggs laid converted to live chicks at 3 months, rather than 24 eggs laid converted to live chicks.
Notable in these statistics is that the higher the eggs per hen the lower the eggs required to produce ONE chick at 3 months. Why is this?
The answer is the combination of breeder nutrition, management and genetics and in that order resulting in not only more eggs laid but also significant improvement in the quality of those eggs. The article discussing Quality Ostrich Egg Production provided some reasons as to why this is the case.
In our competitive markets today profitable ostrich farming depends on achieving those production figures in the Average Best 25% columns. Now increase those eggs laid to +/-100 and one can see the profit potential for ostrich farming.
