PROSPECTS OF OSTRICH FARMING IN INDIA
PRAWEEN SRIVASTAVA
CEO-LBCS
Struthio camelus (Ostriches) are ratite (large flightless) birds having existed as a species for over 40 million years. The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird species (although it is very small compared to the body size of the bird). There are fossils records of presence of ostrich like birds is the Central European Palaeotis from the Middle Eocene, the fossil record of the ostriches continues with several species of the modern genus Struthio which are known from the Early Miocene onwards.
Parallel to the well-developed poultry industry, ostrich farming can open new vistas for development of healthy meat industry in India. Environment of India is very suitable for ostrich farming: suitable weather, cheap labor and cheap feed availability are favorable. However certain constraints like high early mortality in chicks and difficult marketing etc. are weaknesses of this enterprise. Growth of ostrich industry needs support to increase knowledge of the ostrich farming. The ostrich industry needs support in rising/expanding markets for ostrich products through a reliable framework supervised by GOP to generate the concept of eating ostrich meat. Similarly research for different welfare considerations of ostriches in climatic conditions of India should be promoted at universities level and the results be implemented.
The zoological classification of the ostriches is as under.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Struthioniformes(Emus, kiwis, and other ratites)
Family: Struthionidae
Genus: Struthio
Species: S. camelus
Ostriches belong to the Struthioniformes order of (ratites). The extinct members of the order were Aepyornis (Elephant bird). However, paleobiogeographical and paleontological evidences are slightly in favor of the multi-order arrangement for ratites. There are five subspecies of the ostrich ranging from the Arabian and Saharan deserts southward throughout Africa: Southern Ostrich (Struthio camelus australis), North African Ostrich or Red-necked Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), Masai Ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus), Arabian Ostrich or Middle Eastern Ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus); extinct since 1966, Somali Ostrich (Struthio camelus molybdophanes).
Struthio camelus (camel sparrow) are larger usually weigh from 200 to 285 lb and some males may gain up to 340 lb (155kg). Ostriches are very loving are world’s fastest two-legged animal, in spites of their heavy weight they are top runner (Gill, 2010) among the globe birds and can run at a speed of 70Km per hour (ostrich tendons can store much a lot of elastic energy. Ostrich have a thin layer of down on head and neck whilst their strong legs are featherless. As compared to other birds, ostriches have just two toes on each foot. Outer toe are nail-less whilst inner toe having a larger nail resembling a hoof (an adaptation unique to fast run). Ostrich lack teeth, crop, gallbladder and keel bone. Their beak and sternum is flat, breastbone (sternum) is raft-like lack the keel for attachment of wing muscles, and beak is rounded at the tips. Ostrich reach to sexual maturity during 2-4 years of age. They grow about 10 inches/ month and can gain about 80 kg body weight at one year of age. Male may reach a height of 6 to 9 ft, whilst female can reach up to 5.5 to 6.5 ft at sexual maturity. They live in groups (range 5-50 members) and can be alive up to 80 years. Ostriches have acute eyesight and hearing and can defend themselves either by hiding themselves by lying flat against the ground, or by running away, in most threatened conditions can cause injury and even death with a forward kick from its powerful legs (kicking from the knees). Ostriches are unique in kneecap (double kneecap) configuration . Ostrich farming is a new addition among agricultural businesses in India. Markets for ostrich eggs, meat, leather, feathers and related products are developing rapidly throughout the globe. However at the present, ostrich producers are merely meeting 1 percent of the consumer demand. This is best/exact time for India to exploit the resource for ostrich farming to make our big share in the local and global market.
Health consciousness in the modern civilisation has led to diversified food habits. The European communities have gone in search of foods which contributed mainly to the health diets of population. In this process, animal and avian species have contributed to a large extent in providing the required health foods like milk, meat and eggs. The tendency to go for low calorie foods has resulted in increased demand for new species for meat purpose. At present the ostrich meat ranks highest among health foods in Europe. The recognition of ostrich meat in terms of health value is attributed to “zero” percentage fat, low cholesterol and calories, rich in protein and iron. The demand and interest in ostrich meat has been increasing especially after the threat of ‘mad cow’ disease. The unique culinary tastes of ostrich meat have been developed into Sashin, stir-fry and steak type meats. These meats have flooded the restaurants in Europe, Japan, Australia and China in a big way.
2.0 Besides meat, the ostrich has been able to produce high premium feathers, oil and other by-products. The ostrich skin converted into luxury leather is used for making variety of articles. The bleached dyed feathers are used as the raw material for fashion accessories, show business, brush industry and automobile accessories.
3.0 Ostrich a large flightless hardy bird of African origin can survive in temperatures ranging from two degrees to fifty degrees Celsius. It can be reared on barren land and mainly consumes Alfa-alfa, Lucerne and water. It belongs to running bird family. It has long neck and small head, with large eyes and short broad beak. It spreads small wings while running. The long powerful legs are used for defence. The feet have only two toes. Male ostriches are black, with white wings and tail. The white feathers of the male, which are large and soft, are the ostrich plumes of commercial value. The female is dull greyish brown. The males are polygamous, and move with three or four females or in groups of four or five males accompanied by mates and young ones. The females lay their yellowish white eggs together in a single large depression in the sand. The eggs weigh about 1.48 kg. each and have a volume of about 1.4 liters. The male sits on them at night and the female incubates them by day. The life expectancy is about 60-70 years. The general characteristics are given in table – 1.
4.0 The first organised ostrich farm was established for feathers in about 1863 in Karoo and Eastern Cape region of South Africa. The act for the preservation of the wild ostrich was passed in 1870 in Cape Colony. In 1884 Cape Government imposed high export duty on ostrich, and eggs to protect their monopoly supply of feathers to European markets. In the same period people from North and South America, and Australia who became interested in ostrich farming transported the birds to their countries. Several shipments of birds were imported into Australia during period of 1881-1905 and several farms were established in South, West Australia and Queensland. The scientific management of ostrich farms showed good profits, and edge over other enterprises. This resulted in popularity of ostrich farms in Australia. The formation of Australian Ostrich Association (AOA) and Australian Ostrich Co. Ltd. resulted in development of ostrich industry to a large extent. At present the Australian Ostrich Association has 4000 members with 70000 ostrich birds. The ostrich farms are found in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, USA and France.
5.0 The increased demand of ostrich over the past few years has given way to rearing birds under controlled systems. The intensive system became popular because of adoption of scientific technologies, reduced risk of diseases through improved bio-security measures, genetic selection, nutritional innovations, health regimes, and extensive disease surveillance. Scientifically proven management practices resulted in low cost production and improvement in quality of ostrich products.
6.0 The comparative economics of ostrich v/s beef cattle presented in table 2 indicates that ostrich farming has an edge over cattle farming in terms of high returns on investments. Added to the high returns the operational advantages found are :
i.The bird can be reared in paddock alongwith sheep, goat and cattle.
ii.The birds need no dipping, drenching, milking and shearing.
iii.The adaptability of the bird is equally high on annual and perennial pastures or scrub.
iv.The bird can be reared both in hot and freezing temperatures.
v.The bird has shown high sustainability in irrigated as well as rainfed farming environments.
vi.There is virtually no waste products in the bird.
vii.The size of the farm is not a limiting factor.
viii.The added value segments all along the products is very high.
The limiting factors that can be prudently managed are :
i.High capital investments for setting up of the farms.
ii.The markets for meat and its byproducts are not easily accessible.
iii.The high penalties for slaughtering older birds (20 months and above) in the European countries.
iv.The birds are potential and vulnerable for avian disorders particularly for Newcastle disease.
7.0 Liberalised economic policies adopted in 1991 and GATT agreement has given boost to Indian agriculture. After the success of poultry industry during last two decades ostrich farming has opened new vistas for development. The temperate climate of India with zero temperatures of sub Himalayan ranges and 45+ temperatures of Rajasthan desert are found congenial for setting up ostrich farms in the country. A beginning has been made to promote ostrich farms in India through Indo-French Seminar on “Advanced Food Technology and Ostrich Farming” organised on 25 February 1997 at Bangalore by Greater Mysore, Chamber of Industry (GMCI) in association with Karnataka Agro Industries Corporation (KAIC), and was co-sponsored by Indian Overseas Bank. Later an “Exhibition cum Seminar on Ostrich Farming” was organised at Bangalore on 3-4 November 1997 by a newly formed Global Ostrich (India) Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture company of Australia. The entrepreneurs, businessmen and progressive farmers in large number attended the same. A decision was taken, in the seminar to take up franchise programme for setting up ostrich farms. Meanwhile, a Forum on Technology for Ostriches (FOTO) has been formed which will act as an umbrella group to bring together farmers and entrepreneurs interested in ostrich farming and to act as a nodal agency to collaborate and negotiate with worldwide ostrich agencies like Auxavia France, South Ostrich Farmers Association and CCI Global Ostrich Group, Australia and also to develop and establish a network with similar agencies at Singapore, Hongkong, South Africa, China and New Zealand.
8.0 As to the new farming activity, the Karnataka Government has announced to allot government lands to those interested in taking up ostrich farming in the state. Some of the interested entrepreneurs from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have approached banks to extend financial support for setting up of ostrich farms and also for taking up research on ostriches.
9.0 Animal Welfare Organisation of Bangalore and Beauty without Cruelty, International Charitable Trust for Animal Rights, Pune have started campaign to oppose this venture. It is argued that India with its heritage of non violence does not need to go in for business that involves killing of beautiful innocent birds for meat purpose to satisfy whimsical food faddists.
10.0 New economic activity which need to be experimented always finds opposition in one or the other ways. There is always scope for improvement in farming systems which can be modified and changed to suit the economic and social needs. A beginning in the country has been already made. It is prudent to welcome such new ventures which is beneficial to our farmers and the national prosperity. Let the laws facilitate business and production and not smoother the genuine spirit of business. This may also open a new investment opportunity for banks in the near future.
Characteristics and behaviour
Adaptation of the ostrich
The ostrich is very adaptable and thrives under extreme conditions. Among the many ways of regulating its body temperature, it controls heat loss during cold weather by covering its thighs with its wings, and during hot weather, by lifting and moving its wings, it creates a gentle breeze. The feathers are excellent insulators, minimizing heat gain from direct solar radiation, as well as reducing heat loss during cold desert nights.
It has a remarkable tolerance to heat, withstanding air temperatures of 56°C without undue stress. Heat is lost by panting via the well-developed air sac system that avoids overventilation of the lungs and consequent dangerous water loss (Jones, 1982). Adaptations of the blood circulatory system permit its body to heat up to a greater extent than those of other warm-blooded animals while still keeping the head at a safe temperature (Crawford and Schmidt-Nielsen, 1967). Ostriches rarely seek shade, as most desert animals regularly do. Furthermore, the ostrich’s urine contains uric acid carried in a mucus-like substance that helps to minimize water loss (Levy et al., 1990; Yagil et al., 1990).
Ostriches may be found in a variety of open habitats. They normally avoid areas of thick bush or heavy tree cover, and inhabit wooded grasslands and other open country. Semi-arid, open and short-grass plains are usually associated with the highest ostrich densities. They are also able to thrive in very poorly vegetated areas.
Behaviour of the ostrich
Ostriches are completely diurnal. They are on their feet for most of the daylight hours, except when dust-bathing, resting or nesting. They invariably sit down at dusk and remain virtually inactive throughout the night unless disturbed (Degen, Kam and Rosenstrauch, 1989).
The chicks and juveniles are strictly gregarious and always remain in compact groups. Adults are semi gregarious and tend to be attracted to each other for short periods. Like camels, ostriches can travel for long distances in search of food and water.
In addition to temperature control, ostriches use their wings for a variety of display purposes, including courting, protecting eggs and young and submission (Sauer, 1966).
The ostrich’s posture communicates information to other birds. A more confident and aggressive bird will hold its head and neck high, with the front of the body tilted upwards and the tail up, while a submissive bird will hold its head low and its tail down (Bertram, 1992).
Sexual characteristics
The wild ostrich is sexually mature at four to five years of age, while the domesticated ostrich is mature at two to three years; the female matures slightly earlier than the male. Male ostriches attain the black-and-white plumage when mature. Females and immature birds have a much duller colouring, with grayish-brown plumage. The young have spiky, black-tipped buff-coloured plumage until they are about four months of age. The plumage of the cock is brighter during the breeding/mating season, while the skin, usually light blue, becomes bright red (scarlet) over the beak, forehead and around the eyes, and the leg scales and toes become pink.
Male and female chicks are very similar in appearance and their sex can only be determined by examining their sexual organs. This is difficult as the penis of the male is still tiny and easily confused with the clitoris of the female (Gandini and Keffen, 1985; Samour, Markham end Nieva, 1984). From about seven to eight months of age, the sex can be determined when the bird urinates or defecates, as the penis emerges at these times. It is interesting to note that, unlike most birds, the male ostrich has a penis and that micturition and defecation are separate acts, although one normally follows the other almost immediately.
Full distinction between sexes is reached at about two years of age. The wing quills are pure white in the male, while they are ringed with grey or black in the female. The tail feathers of the male are white or yellowish brown and those of the female are mottled light and dark grey. The thighs of the adult ostrich are almost devoid of feathers.
It is important to note that the scarlet coloration of the male is dependent on the presence of mature testes, while its black plumage is dependent on the absence of ovaries. A castrated cock never acquires scarlet coloration, but its feathers are the normal black of the cock. Removal of the testes after sexual maturity has little effect on the bird’s sexual instincts, and it continues the mating procedure (Osterhoff, 1979, 1984).
The breeding season
Ostriches are seasonal breeders, breeding only during particular seasons of the year. On average, the breeding/mating season lasts from six to eight months every year, although the timing and duration of breeding can vary with latitude and altitude (Shanawany, 1994a). In the northern hemisphere, breeding commences during March and ends around August/September (Leuthold, 1977), while in the southern hemisphere it begins around July/August and finishes by the end of March (Jarvis, Jarvis and Keffen, 1985).
Mating
Male ostriches are polygamous and can mate with more than one female. In the wild, the cock starts nesting with one or two or even more hens. Domesticated ostriches are kept in pairs (one male and one female) or in trios (one male and two females) for the breeding season (Shanawany, 1993).
Part of the courtship display in ostriches involves the “rolling” of the male. He squats (goes down on his haunches) and flaps his wings backwards and forwards while hitting his head on alternate sides of his back, making a thudding sound. Usually silent, the male has a hollow booming call in the breeding season. The female holds her wings horizontally and flutters the tips. Her head is held low, and she opens and shuts her beak. When she is crouching, the male places his left foot next to hers and mounts with his right foot on her back. His penis passes into the cloaca of the female. Consummation is usually accompanied by his groaning, while the female snaps her beak and shakes her head (Osterhoff, 1984).
The female starts to lay fertile eggs shortly after mating. Eggs are laid every other day in clutches (sequences) of 20 to 24 eggs. The hen stops laying for a period of seven to ten days, after which she starts a new clutch. High-producing females lay between 80 to 100 eggs during the breeding season.
The eggs are laid in a communal nest on the ground, with other females laying their eggs in the same nest (Bertram, 1992). If the eggs are not removed, the female will start incubating them during the day, leaving the male to incubate from dusk to dawn. The male’s jet-black feathers assist in hiding the eggs during the night. For commercial ostrich farming, it is important that all eggs are removed from the nest at least twice daily (Shanawany, 1994b), since, if allowed to incubate, the female will stop laying until the chicks have reached four to five weeks of age, resulting in financial loss.
Ostrich eggs
As befits the world’s largest bird, the ostrich lays the largest egg of any living bird. Oddly enough, however, the ostrich egg is one of the smallest in relation to the size of the bird. Measuring 17 to 19 cm in length, 14 to 15 cm in width and weighing up to 1 900 g, the ostrich egg is only just over 1 percent of the female’s body weight. The eggs vary from white to yellowish white in colour and their hard shiny surface is pitted with superficial pores of various sizes and shapes.
Ostrich products
Today, ostrich farms are considered to be among the most profitable agricultural projects. They are often referred to as “the farms of the future” because of the large variety of possible products and hence their high profit potential. Ostriches are raised commercially for their meat, hide and feathers.
Feathers
Ostrich feathers are used for cleaning fine machinery and equipment as well as for decorations and in the fashion industry. The quality of feathers produced from ostriches raised in Europe and North America differs from those produced in Africa. The best feathers come from the more arid regions of the world.
Meat
Ostriches produce red meat that is very similar in taste and texture to veal and beef depending on the age at which they are slaughtered. It is high in protein yet low in fat. A recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publication compared the nutritive value of chicken and beef with that of ostrich meat (Table 1).
The study indicates quite clearly that ostrich meat is far better from the health point of view as it contains far less fat, and particularly less cholesterol, than other types of meat. Lately, with greater consumer awareness of the problems of high cholesterol levels in the blood and the possible association with increased incidences of heart attacks and cardiovascular difficulties, the demand for ostrich meat in the international markets has been growing. The latest statistics show that current ostrich meat production is not enough to meet the increasing demand, whether in Europe, North America or Japan. It is expected that during the next decade, ostrich meat may gradually replace traditional types of meat. It is currently marketed in a variety of ways, including cold cuts, frankfurters, pâté, fillet steaks and sun-dried (jerky or biltong), in addition to fresh meat.
Hide
Ostrich skin (hide) is considered to be one of the most luxurious leathers, and some even place it on a par with crocodile and snake skin. Ostrich leather is thick, durable and extremely soft and can be manufactured into a variety of products, such as shoes, bags, purses and jackets.
In addition to their meat, skin and feathers, ostriches are being explored for medical and medicinal purposes. The tendons of the ostrich leg are used to replace torn tendons in humans as they are long and strong enough for the human leg, and recent research in ophthalmology points to the possible use of ostrich eyes in cornea transplants. Ostriches are able to see clearly for over 12 km, and the cornea is large enough to be trimmed down to fit the human eye. Furthermore, the ostrich brain produces a substance that is being studied for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
Comparison with other livestock
Recently, a number of beef producers in Europe and North America have switched to raising ostriches commercially because of the higher and faster financial returns of ostrich projects. When compared with traditional livestock, ostriches rate very highly. Whereas a cow produces a calf that reaches marketing weight after 654 days from conception, yielding 250 kg of meat, an ostrich produces not less than 40 chicks annually that reach marketing age after only 407 days from conception (42 days incubation + 365 days of age) and yield 1 800 kg of meat, 50 m2 of leather and 36 kg of feathers each year (Table 2). Furthermore, the net weight of meat represents 50 percent of live weight in ostriches, a percentage much higher than that of other farm animals such as cattle, sheep and even poultry. In addition, the female ostrich can continue this annual production for up to 40 years. With the use of modern husbandry techniques and correct management, the overall production of one female ostrich during her “economic life” can reach 72 tonnes of meat, 2 000 m2 of leather and 1450 kg of feathers. This production ability makes ostrich farming an extremely viable and highly economical proposition for developing countries.
It is not difficult to raise ostriches successfully. As with traditional farm animals, the critical time is the first period of the ostrich’s life. An ostrich chick requires good care, a balanced diet containing all essential nutrients in optimal quantities, and the right temperature must be maintained during brooding up to the age of four months.
- The nutritive value of ostrich meat compared with traditional meats
| Per 100 g raw meat | Ostrich | Beef | Chicken |
| Protein (g) | 21.9 | 20.0 | 21.4 |
| Fat (g) | 1.0 | 15.6 | 2.6 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 63 | 86 | 74 |
| Energy (cal) | 114 | 276 | 163 |
| Calcium (mg) | 5.2 | 9.0 | 13.0 |
- Comparison of some parameters of cattle and ostriches –
| Ostriches | Cattle | |
| Gestation/incubation period (days) | 42 | 280 |
| Offspring per year | 40 | 1 |
| Period from conception to slaughter (days) | 407 | 645 |
| Meat (kg) | 1 800 | 250 |
| Leather (m2) | 50.4 | 2.7 |
| Feathers (kg) | 36 | – |
Future of the ostrich industry
Today’s commercialization of the ostrich is analogous to the early steps taken by the turkey industry back in the 1920s. In those days, turkeys were quite rare, difficult to find and extremely expensive, with some selling for breeding purposes for as much as US$ 2 000 each. By the mid-1960s there were more than 150 million turkeys in production worldwide.
Currently, the ostrich industry in Europe and America is still mainly in the breeding phase, with little commercial processing taking place. Some birds are sold to other farmers and ranchers entering the ostrich business. Prices continue to be artificially high. As soon as the number of ostriches reaches a level high enough to support a slaughter market, however, prices are bound to drop. In 1992, over 150 000 ostriches were slaughtered worldwide; 95 percent of these were processed in South Africa. At present, there is no concrete indication as to when the ostrich population will be large enough to meet current, let alone future, consumer demand.
In the last few years, ostrich farming has progressed dramatically and the world ostrich industry has achieved some economic stability. On many farms, however, the management of the birds, particularly the young chicks, is still relatively primitive. There is considerable scope for improvement in the areas of artificial incubation, chick nutrition, environmental requirements and selective breeding. Unfortunately, despite its great potential, the ostrich has received and-continues to receive little attention from scientists. One possible way of attracting scientific interest and securing the proper recognition of the ostrich as an animal useful to people is to hold international symposiums and conferences. If ostrich production is to provide the meat of the future, a scientific approach is the only way forward.
TABLE – 1 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR OSTRICHES
- FAMILY Running birds Place of Origin
Ostrich Africa
Emu Australia
Rnea South America
Cassowary New-Guinea
Kiwi New-Zealand
- General Identification Male Female
Colour black grey
Sexual Maturity 30 months 24 months
Height 2.60 m 2.40 m
Weight 150 kg 130 kg
Speed 70 km/h 70 km/h
- Breeding specifications
Social Life 1 male for 2 females
Duration of life 70 years
Breeding years 30 years
Laying 60 eggs average per breeding
Fattening birds 30 (12 months)
Egg weight 1.6 kg (24 hen eggs weight)
Mortality Nil (upto 3 months age)
Food secial diet and fresh food
Particular nature growth of 1 cm/day during the 1st 6 months
Slaughtering age 12 months
Meat Output 30-35 kg fillet and steak
Skin output 1.40 m2
- PRODUCTS UTILITIES
| Products | Characteristics | Outlets |
| Leather | Pearl or grain Suppleness, Rusticity | Luxury Moroco-Leather Goods Baggage, High Fashion Shoes |
| Meat | Red, Tender, Tasty Dietic | Roasted, Grilled, Panful, Nature |
| Feather Tourism
|
Suppleness, Anti-Static | Decoration, Brushes, Festivals Show-Farm, Natural or Painted Egg Shells |
- DISTRIBUTION FOR INDUSTRY
| Leather
Meat
Feather
|
Finished skin
Raw skin —
Natural, Bleached, Dyed |
HERMES
Tannery specialised in Luxury & exotic products
Delicacies, Supermarkets
Festivals, Fashion Show and Theatre show, brush industry |
- PRODUCTION SYSTEM :
- i) Is based on the symbosis of 2 different rearing technics : poultry and cow farming.
- ii) Production is a semi-intensive farming : indoors and outdoors (building and free space)
- PRODUCTION CYCLE (4 STEPS)
| Particulars | Age | Housing |
|
Starters (Chicks)
Fatterens (Ostriches)
Selection (Ostriches)
Breeders (Ostriches)
|
1 day to 3 months
4 to 12 months
12 to 24 months
+ 24 months |
Poultry Building – adjoining 3 free space
Cow Building or sheep fold + adjoining free space
In free space (Building is optional_
In camps at the ratio of 1 trio to 5 trio per run (Building is optional) |
The general practice is one male for two females (trio) for an average output of 60 eggs per female for breeding season, with good rearing condition one can get 30 fatterning birds (12 months period).
- Technical specifications for an ostrich farm
| Age | Indoor | Outdoor |
| 1-21 days
22-90 days
90 days – 300 days
Breeders/Selection 12 months and older
|
building 0.5 sq.m./bird
building 1.00 sq.m/bird
open shelter 1 sq.m./bird
open shelter 5 sq.m./bird |
according to the climate 3-5 sq.m./bird
required 10 sq.m./bird minimum 50 sq.m
100 sq.m./bird (slaughtering) minimum space 1000 sq.m
500-800 sq.m./bird minimum space 1000 sq.m. |
Note : (i) The open shelter should offer protection on 3 sides with a door on the 4th side.
The opening will be minimum 1.50 wide. The shelter will be minimum 2.50 m high.
(ii) The fence will be minimum 1.50 m high for the birds and breeders (according to the farm and objectives) with a post for every 4 meters.
Source: Ostrich farming : Paper presented by Mt. Laurent Simon, Managing Director, Auxavia, France in the Indo French Seminar on Advanced Food Technologies and Ostrich Farming, Bangalore, India on 26.02.1997
Table – 2. Comparison of Beef Cattle v/s Ostrich
Productivity of Ostriches varies widely but even a conservative estimate of 30 offspring a year compares favourably to cattle productivity. This comparison considers conservative market prices.
| Sr.No. | Particulars | Beef Cattle | Ostrich |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| A.
i) ii) iii) iv)
v)
vi)
vii) viii) ix) x)
B.
i) ii) iii) |
Costs
Level required Gestation Offspring per year Meat Production Time Frame Meat Production per annum (3) Square Feet of Hide (3) Number of hides Cost of Feed per day Breeding years Meat Price per pond
Income per annum
Hide value (1) Slaughter (meat) value (2) Plumage value (3)
|
10,000 sq.m. per pair 280 days 1 10 months
550
50 to 60
1 $ 1.00 – 1.50 10 to 11 $ 1.00
— $ 550 —
|
1,600 sq.m. per pair 42 days 30 12 months
1,800
420
30 30 Cents 40 to 45 $ 10.00
$ 10500 $18000 $1500 |
| Total Economic Value (3) | 550 | 30,000 | |
(1) 14 sq.ft.x$25 sq.ft.x30 offspring per year
(2) 60 lbs (choice cuts)x$1000 lbs x 30 offspring
(3) Assumes an average of 30 birds per year
Vaccination
The areas where infectious diseases are common, vaccination with proper vaccines can help to avoid the prevalence of disease and consequent economic losses. Vaccination should be carried out according to the regulations and recommendations of manufacturers. Newcastle disease may cause extensive damage and mortality in ostriches. Ostriches should be vaccinated against ND (inactivated) La Sota via eye drop, wings tip or spray into the eye at age of 3 and 6 weeks and subsequent subcutaneous injection of an inactivated emulsified or alum-precipitated La Sota be given at the 3 months and 6 months of age. Then repeat the vaccine each 6 months interval thereafter. Vaccination should be repeated at 6 months of age and once a year thereafter in breeding flocks. H7N1, H5N9, H5N2 and H9N2 are most commonly pathogenic strains of avian influenza for ostriches. Autogenous inactivated oil-based vaccine against influenza can induce good immunity
Bio-security Measures at Ostrich Farm
Like other poultry birds ostriches are vulnerable to a wide range of bacterial and viral diseases, the best way for prevention of disease is application of bio- security measures. Following bio-security measures should carefully be considered at Ostrich farm Avoid anything being brought onto your farm For vehicles, construct a vehicle dip, where the wheels of the incoming vehicle have to pass through an authorized disinfectant. Try to prevent further movement of the incoming vehicle, by designing parking near the opening gate. In any case, the person with appropriate footwear should pass through a foot dip, containing a disinfectan.
Problems/Disease during Rearing
Phase Omphalitis, or infected yolk sac, is a common disease of hatchlings. It has been treated by surgical removal of the yolk sac followed by antibiotic therapy. Infected yolk sacs are a result of bacteria penetrating the egg shell. It should become a less common problem as egg gathering and sanitation practices improve. The “fading chick syndrome”, or mal absorption syndrome, is a usually fatal disease of young ostriches that strikes most often between 1 and 3 months of age but may affect chicks as old as 6 months. Chicks become listless, stop eating and drinking and die. The cause is unknown. Aggressive intravenous fluid and/or oral fluid therapy has been successful in some cases. Impactions occur in birds of all ages. Treatment can be surgical or non-surgical. Preventive measure include acclimation of chicks to a variety of substrates very early in life and avoiding sudden feed changes or sudden additions of high roughage feedstuffs. Often wet chicks have difficulty placing their legs under them at this stage and a condition called “spraddle leg” develops. Most birds can be treated by hobbling the legs together in a normal position with tape, tubing, stunt or Vetrap until the chick is able to stand on its own (Figure 4)
Parasitic Infestation
Both internal and external parasites affect ostriches. Eimeria spp. (protozoa), Houttuynia struthionis (cestoda) and Libyostrongylus douglassii (nematoda) cause serious production losses in ostriches . Abbas et al. use Ivermectin and Piprazine citrate in poultry and recommended that Piperazine citrate is more effective. These anthelmentics and other drugs given a 1-month intervals beginning at 1 month of age will prevent nematode infestations. Ivermectin also may be affective against quill mites and sucking lice with repeated dosing. Histomoniasis infection can be controlled with furazolidone and treated with metronidazole. Carbaryl (5 percent) dust is being used by the USDA at 14-day intervals to treat tick infestations in chicks and adult ostriches. Levamisol for wire worms, Struthiolipeurus nandu (Arthropod) infestation in ostrich causing feather loss. Unidentified feather mite belonging to family Pterolichidae infesting ostrich successfully treated with ivermectin.
Viral Diseases
Newcastle disease virus is highly virulent causing high mortality in ostriches. Virus isolated from brain reported highly pathogenic. Vaccination of ostriches against ND is quite different to those associated with vaccinating other poultry. Little is known of the immune response of vaccine in ostriches; yet, some researchers have reported the successful use of vaccines under controlled experiments. Allwright [37] reported the efficacy of vaccines (at 4 and 14 months of age) but also observed some reactions with adjuvant vaccines, especially oil-based vaccines. Verwoerd et al. reported no clinical signs or deaths in ostriches of up to ten months of age that had been vaccinated with live La Sota vaccine at 6 and 10 weeks of age, whereas unvaccinated ostriches showed 100% morbidity and 25% mortality in the same conditions. Bolte et al. recommended a schedule of live La Sota given by eye-drop and two doses of oil emulsion inactivated vaccine of Talovac 105 ND, Lohmann Animal Health, for high antibody levels in susceptible ostriches (8- to up to 12 months old) Pox virus recovered from skin lesion and Spongy form encephalopathy is also reported. Crimean-Congo Haemmorrhagic Fever Virus is also reported worldwide. Report of virus isolation from human thought to have acquired infection from handling slaughter ostrich. However, Avian Influenza and Newcastles Disease are two main ostrich diseases in globe whereas up till now there is not a single report of these diseases in India.
Bacterial Diseases
Staphylococcus hyicus in an ostrich may cause conjunctivitis. Tuberculosis in ostrich and other ratites is also reported. Pasteurella multocidainfections may cause generalized and pulmonary infections in ostriches.
Treatment for Bacterial Diseases
Gentamicin 2 mg/lb, Amoxicillin 5mg/lb, Tetracycline 7.5 mg/lb, Tribrissen 2ml/kg, Sulfadiazine 48% 20 mg/lb
Fungal Diseases
Aspergillus (Fungal) infections caused by A. flavus and A. niger are also reported in ostriches however there are no evidence of aspergillosis as a flock. Birds show signs of depression, anorexia and stunting. Some of the birds walked with their heads close to the ground and moved lethargically compared to the healthy chicks
Treatment Ø Fumigate the hatchery with formalin and potassium permanganate Ø Change of litter (hay or sand) frequently.
Nutritional Deficiency
Disorders Vitamin E and selenium deficiencies Parsley-induced photosensitivity in captive ostrich. Anasarca and myopathy in ostrich chicks. Nutritional muscular dystrophy in ostrich chicks.
Treatment
Provide mineral and vitamin supplements
Suggested Diets
Struthio camelus are grazing bird of the open woodland habitat, hence can be reared in paddock along with sheep, goat and cattle . These are omnivores and can eat shoots, shrubs, leaves, seeds and fruit as well as insects and lizards . The Ostrich are reared worldwide for their feathers, skin, eggs and meat. The diet of the Ostrich mainly consists of seeds and other plant matter, though occasionally it also eats insects such as locusts. They are known to eat almost anything and can carry about 1 kg of stones in its stomach.
Points to Ponder before Starting an Ostrich Enterprise
Start an ostrich chick farm of 300 birds. Select breeders, 100 hens and 60 males after one year age. Design a small level hatchery Have chicks and sell chicks for rearing at low rates to different farms at 2 months age. Have a medium size feed mill to make feed for own farm and selling to private farmers. Buy back ostrich when they are 12 months old. Slaughtering and selling 12 months old in the market at cost to cost basis. Welcome visits of the private farmers and extend necessary training to farm ostrich farming.
Source:On request
