Feb 11
16
Production Problems in Ostrich Farming
Rearing livestock will always have challenges regarding health and production issues and over the years ostrich farming has experienced many problems. The following are some of the more common problems.
Breeder:
Problems experienced with breeders are such things as birds refusing to eat, impactions, sluggish breeding activity, egg infertility, low egg production, hens egg bound, cessation in laying, death by internal bleeding, birds constantly sitting and missing feathers.
Egg Deformities:
These can include extreme egg sizes from very small to in excess of 2 kgs. Other problems are such things as wrinkled or chalky eggshells, skin eggs, eggshell porosity problems and eggshells that are too hard. Whilst some ostrich farmers rejoice at having ostrich eggs over 2kgs, this is not necessarily a good thing. Uniformity is sought for consistent results.
Incubation Problems:
The following are some problems experienced during incubation – early embryo deaths, weak pipping, mal-positioned chicks, frequent assisted hatches, yolk sac infections, deformities, extremely swollen chicks and chicks covered in a brown or green slime.
Chick Rearing:
Once chicks are hatched, early chick mortality continues to be a major challenge in ostrich production. As there are multiple causes, it has been named Fading Chick Syndrome as that best describes the way the chicks weaken and die. Other common problems are chicks hatched with bright yellow livers, poor and variable internal organ development, chicks with leg problems including turned out, splayed and bowed.
Slow growing chicks or chicks surviving but failing to thrive are commercially challenging.
Commercial Slaughter Birds:
The important challenges here are to produce commercially viable birds. Commercial viability includes many aspects but most importantly is getting those birds to market at the lowest cost per kilo of meat produced – but at the same time ensuring their products are acceptable to the market.
Ostrich Products
A significant barrier to market over the years has been and continues to be:
ostrich meat market supply: The inconsistencies in muscle sizes, meat color and ability to deliver on time.
ostrich skins and leather market supply: Variability in skin grades, thickness and overall quality of the leather.
Ostrich feathers: Anecdotal experience has demonstrated just how variable the feather quality is dependent on the management program the birds were reared and the genetic history of those birds.
The bird in the picture is a Red Neck Ostrich – clearly seen by the red color in the neck. The farmer is 6’ 3” (1.9m) tall. It is considered that Red Neck Ostrich produce poor feathers. This photograph disproves that theory. This male bird has magnificent ostrich feathers.
The market opportunities depend on the procedures introduced on farm. A business plan must identify the problems to enable it to introduce systems to provide solutions to those problems at the ostrich farming level.
