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Ratite farming
Ratites are a group of birds that includes ostriches, emu, rheas, cassowaries, and kiwis. Lacking the large keel on the breast bone where flight muscles attach, these birds are unable to fly. The most economically important species of ratites are the ostrich and the emu, with the rhea a distant third. The cassowary is rare and is not considered to have any economic importance, while the kiwi is an oddity and is virtually absent from most countries. Ratite management is similar to both livestock and poultry management. Commercial ratite production for meat and leather (ostrich, emu, rhea), feathers (ostrich) and oil (emu) occurs worldwide. The management and diseases of the large ratites are similar. Ratite meat is evaluated similarly for other red meat species through the determination of carcass traits, physical and chemical properties and palatability traits. Meat production for ratites is primarily under controlled farming and management schemes.
Introduction.
There has been considerable growth in the number of organic livestock farms [1] in response to the necessity to fulfill the growing demand for animal products predicted for 2050 [2]. Furthermore, it is required to combine it with the farms’ profitability, environmental protection, food safety, and ethical concerns. Due to...
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Commercial ostrich farming began in South Africa more than 150 years ago and is now practiced in Israel and the United Sates as well. Currently there are 40,000 to 60,000 birds in the U.S. Some breeders project that in order to penetrate the existing meat and hide markets, 250,000 breeding pairs would be required, and that a slaughterhouse would have to handle 200,000 ostriches annually to operate economically. PRODUCTS Ostrich...
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May 14, 2024
Canada - Manitoba - Winnipeg
Emus need to be caught and handled for a variety of reasons including:
determining sex
applying tags, leg bands or electronic identification
treatment:
internal medication
general parasite control
minor surgical procedure or injections
transportation.
Expertise in catching and handling takes time to develop. The safety of handlers and emus is a prime...
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Managing egg production
Emus begin breeding at about 20-24 months. Young adults and other unpaired adults should be run in groups in large pens allowing each emu to choose its own mate thus forming compatible pairs; this increases egg fertility. (Selective pairing will begin to take place from December/January each year.) If each pen has only one pair of emus, they may be incompatible and poor matings will result, so decreasing...
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An emu's digestive system comprises an oesophagus, proventriculus, gizzard, a small intestine (duodenum, jejunum and ileum), caeca, rectum and cloaca. In this respect they are similar to poultry with the exception that they have no distinct crop. The proventriculus, however, is quite distensible and possibly could serve as an organ for food storage. Relative to its liveweight, the length of an emu's digestive tract is approximately 10 times less than that of domestic fowl.
The time...
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Red meat is now on the "wing" into innovative restaurants and some meat markets. The latest in meat products is from the "ratite" family of flightless birds. It's lean and tastes like beef, but contains much less fat. In fact, ratite meat is even lower in calories than chicken and turkey. Ratites have been around for 80 million years. Here's some information on the newest meat source in America. What are Ratites? Ratites...
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The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and ostrich (Struthio camelus) are Ratites. These flightless birds have broad, rounded breast plates missing the keel to which the breast or flight muscles attach. They have recently become of increased interest as an alternative enterprise.
Ostriches
References to ostriches are found in ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman literature and in the Bible. They may have existed mil lions of...
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Ostrich production today is going through the transition phase from breeder market to commercial production. During a breeder market there has been limited parallel development of the required infrastructure of productive feed provision, slaughter provision, product and market development. Any new entrant needs to consider at what stage of the production process they wish to participate. There are others who wish to market the products, but this is only possible if there is a product...
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The time is now for the ostrich, emu and rhea meat industry. The high priced breeder market is a thing of the past. The future of the ostrich and emu industry will depend greatly upon the successful sale of the meat. The rhea industry will depend upon its sale of the meat as a health product. Ratite meat is an expensive meat and must be handled and sold as such. It must be marketed as a premium meat and sold on its high iron- low fat content. Its "healthy" meat aspect must be promoted....
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There is limited quality research concerning the nutritional requirements of Ratites. However, some dependable guidelines have been established because of work completed in Australia and Africa. As in all diet formulations, a variety of high quality ingredients should be used to meet the nutrient recommendations of the Ratite. Using a wide variety of ingredients helps to decrease the effect of variations that are inherent in all ingredients. Recommendations for Ratite...
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Emus are native to Australia. Commercial production there and in the United States is a very recent development. The first emu producer's organization started in Texas in 1989. PRODUCTS Emu products include leather, meat and oil. Leather from emu hides is thinner and finer textured than ostrich leather. Anticipated uses include clothing and accessories. Emu meat, like ostrich meat, is being promoted as a...
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Ostriches have been farmed mainly in the Little Karoo region of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) for over a 100 years, initially linked to a highly fluctuating fashion feather market (Smit, 1963). Since the 1970s and 1980s there has been a rapid demand for ostrich leather products as well as fresh meat, leading to a corresponding increase in bird numbers with significant farming operations established first in other parts of the RSA as well as Southern Africa (Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana)...
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Emu farming occurs in all states of Australia. In Queensland the industry comes under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This note gives a new entrant to the industry an indication of the physical and financial aspects of emu production. Steps to start an emu farm . Contact the local shire planning officer with regard to planning requirements and restrictions on land use. Contact the EPA. . Read relevant publications from DPI&F and...
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Bird able to adjust well with climate in arid regions of State; reason for thriving business is increasing demand for bird’s meat, oil and eggs. Far from its native habitat in Australia, the flightless emu is leaving its footprint across the plains of India, with an increasing number of farmers commercially rearing the ostrich-size bird. From a single farm in 1996, there are today 900 emu farms in 14 states, with a majority of them in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra,...
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South Africa has culled 8,000 ostriches to contain an outbreak of a less virulent strain of avian flu in West Cape province, the Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday.
While the department reiterated that the H5N2 outbreak was under control it said it suspected that ostriches in other areas may have been exposed to the virus. But it stressed that the disease had not been detected elsewhere.
"The outbreak of avian influenza in ostriches... has been brought under control by the...
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The ostrich industry in South Africa has welcomed Tuesday's announcement by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza, declaring the country free of avian influenza.
However, it warned that this does not translate into an automatic resumption of ostrich-product exports.
Last year, the European Union, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mozambique banned ostrich imports from South Africa after an outbreak of avian flu in two of the country's provinces. Before the ban, South Africa...
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Despite a below average throughput, the Namibian Ostrich industry seems to have benefited a great deal, thanks to the ban slapped on South African ostrich exports.
Managing director of Karas Tannery and Abattoir, Frikkie Mouton told New Era in an interview that the industry currently experiences one of its brightest moments on the international market.
"We experience an increase in prices, the demand is very good," Mouton noted, adding that the industry normally slaughtered 27,000 birds...
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More than 31,000 ostriches were culled in South Africa's Eastern Cape province in the past three months after more positive tests for avian influenza, an animals society said on Wednesday.
Celeste Houseman, spokesman for the National Council of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in Cape Town that inspectors were in the Graaff-Reinet area to monitor the culling.
She said 5,000 to 6,000 ostriches had been culled in late October and November in the Grahamstown area,...
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Three board members of the Wisconsin Emu Association will continue to hold their posts for another two-year term. Tony Kiselicka of Medford will serve as vice-president and Marian LaPlant from Fredonia has been re-elected as treasurer. Betty Lou Cauffman of Fennimore will also continue to hold her director seat.
The WIEA is an affiliate of the American Emu Association, which supports the emu industry by developing public awareness of emu products and developing the leadership to advance the...
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Studanka (Zidovice, Czech Republic), ostrich processing firm, has commissioned the first ostrich slaughterhouse in Zidovice in the region Litomerice, the Czech Republic.
The slaughterhouse kills about 50 ostrichs per week. The firm should supply about 3,000 ostrich meat pieces to the market in 2005. The price of ostrich steak is CEK 320 per kg.
The firm exports the majority of production to Austria, Germany, Italy and Belgium. The company purchases ostrichs from Czech, Slovak and Polish...
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