Raising ostriches, emus, or rheas?

[Back to Nature]

I'm not trying to get rich off of this, guys. I think there's more to farming than money. And I have been researching. Evidently my request for tips from experienced raisers was pointless. Obviously I'm not going to get any animal unless I can afford it. I plan on having a job besides farming. When I say support myself by farming, I mean as a side thing, otherwise I wouldn't waste money studying theriogenology. So if anyone has any tips on raising ostriches, please let me know, since that is what I asked.

 

[Royd Wood]

An old boy was talking the other day and he said "there's lots of money in farming, I should know I put all mine in it"

 

[Back to Nature]

Who are you talking about, Royd Wood?

 

[Pixie Dust]

Off topic, perhaps, but has anyone considered Bison? Its a shame about ostrich meat not being in demand. Its so healthy. Perhaps people are put off by it since they associate it with the beautiful birds at the zoo. I wonder if you created a market for it, meaning, actively made contact with nutritionists for heart patients, retirement villages, athletic associations, etc. Once you've tasted that meat, not much else compares. The danger factor is certainly something to consider... I can't believe that Texas now has wild ostrich. Now there's a thought. Turn it into a big game shoot. Get 100 acres in the middle of nowhere and offer a hunting retreat. You'd probably have to be a pretty good shot and where would you shoot? Certainly not the head. I don't even hunt. I've fired a gun one time. I am full of it this morning. Shutting up now!

 

[Back to Nature]

Off topic, perhaps, but has anyone considered Bison? Its a shame about ostrich meat not being in demand. Its so healthy. Perhaps people are put off by it since they associate it with the beautiful birds at the zoo. I wonder if you created a market for it, meaning, actively made contact with nutritionists for heart patients, retirement villages, athletic associations, etc. Once you've tasted that meat, not much else compares. The danger factor is certainly something to consider... I can't believe that Texas now has wild ostrich. Now there's a thought. Turn it into a big game shoot. Get 100 acres in the middle of nowhere and offer a hunting retreat. You'd probably have to be a pretty good shot and where would you shoot? Certainly not the head. I don't even hunt. I've fired a gun one time. I am full of it this morning. Shutting up now!

I've considered having a hunting type thing on my property, but I don't want to risk an animal getting shot and not killed. Then I'd either have to kill it or spend tons of money healing it. I also don't want to risk them accidentally shooting my valuable breeding animals. And you don't have to shut up. lol

 

[BrownSheep]

Bison are also highly aggressive and require special fencing.

 

[bonbean01]

Very true...fencing is a big deal with Bison...and you should see the kind of corrals and loading/treating chutes you have to build

Someone I went to school with still lives in the area and my Dad took me out to see his Bison set up...whoa...at that time he was not breaking even yet...takes a ton of money to just contain them.

They are aggressive...best be sure to have a great health insurance plan before getting into raising/breeding them....and perhaps good life insurance too if you have a family depending on you.

Think I'll stick to my very sweet natured sheepies

 

[SheepGirl]

The bison steer at the petting farm I worked at in October was contained with 4' (or maybe it was 5'?) woven wire fencing with a strand of electric at the top...except the electric was turned off during the day when the public was there. Kept him contained! But I do have to agree with bon...get GREAT insurance if you have bison! That bison, Cody, wanted to kill my co-worker after he trapped her in a big bale feeder and she was hitting him to get him away. He held a grudge and wanted to attack her every time she went into the paddock/field to feed him, the cattle, the donkeys, alpacas, llamas, and the ram. But Red Bull, the Brahma steer was nice enough to protect not only her, but me, from Cody when we went in there. He would always stand between us and Cody, and if Cody started coming towards us, Red Bull would go after him to get him away from us. He was so great!

 

[Back to Nature]

The bison steer at the petting farm I worked at in October was contained with 4' (or maybe it was 5'?) woven wire fencing with a strand of electric at the top...except the electric was turned off during the day when the public was there. Kept him contained! But I do have to agree with bon...get GREAT insurance if you have bison! That bison, Cody, wanted to kill my co-worker after he trapped her in a big bale feeder and she was hitting him to get him away. He held a grudge and wanted to attack her every time she went into the paddock/field to feed him, the cattle, the donkeys, alpacas, llamas, and the ram. But Red Bull, the Brahma steer was nice enough to protect not only her, but me, from Cody when we went in there. He would always stand between us and Cody, and if Cody started coming towards us, Red Bull would go after him to get him away from us. He was so great!

Sounds like Red Bull is safe from the freezer. I thought about raising bison once. Once. It is too much work for a self-sufficient homestead. Maybe I'll get lucky and end up in a community where someone else raises bison and will trade some meat to me for something..

 

[bonbean01]

Yes...I'd think Red Bull would be a keeper!

This person I was talking about with Bison had them charge through fences many times...even the super duper fences...and the liability insurance he had to carry should they ever get out was very high.

I never see Buffalo burgers for sale around here, or when we lived in Florida. In Saskatchewan they sell it beside the beef buger...it costs more per pound, but for many on heart healthy diets it is a better option. I've had Bison burgers and Bison stew and the meat was a richer, sweeter flavour than beef. Best meat I've had was Moose....better than beef any day. No moose to hunt around here though...just deer and wild turkey.