World Ostrich Association Newsletter No. 109
April, 2012

Included in this edition:
More on Genetics
Oudtshoorn Veld Restoration Project
Editors Comments

More on Genetics
Last month we discussed a paper regarding the South African industry’s work on genetics.   This week I read the following announcement:

Quote: JSR Genetics develops new sire line
International pig breeding business JSR Genetics has developed a new sire line which has been bred to provide producers with progeny that the breeder claims are up to three days faster to finish than its rivals. The new JSR Geneconverter 800m boar will be available internationally in May, following the 2012 British Pig Poultry Fair, where customers will be able to see the new boar and get all the breeding data. End Quote

This company is based just a few miles from my home.  As they put it, pig genetics have to keep in line with consumer demand and are often outdated within 2 years.   The latest edition of Pig International has several articles covering the topic of genetics.  The featured company in the cover article is also from the same area as JSR Genetics and another world leader in genetics.  

Reading these articles illustrates just how much potential we have with ostrich once we have a strong industry producing sufficient volume to support genetic development work.

Oudtshoorn Veld Restoration Project
Generally the breeder herds in the Oudtshoorn region are run as flocks over large areas of veld.  Apart from the specialist feather birds which are generally maintained in pairs or trios for the genetics, most are run as large colonies.    Some farmers would rotate the large enclosures, which would be several hundred hectares per enclosure, resting each enclosure for several years, but as numbers increased this became less practical.  Table 1 illustrates the extreme range of stocking density on the veld.  Note the comment on page 16 in the paper ‘A financial cost-benefit analysis of the implementation of a small ostrich farming to allow veld restoration’ that references the prescribed stocking rate on the veld as 22.8 ha per ostrich per flock.

Table 1 - Stocking Rates on Veld of 10 farmers in study
[Source: Page 52 Long Term Biodiversity Management Strategy for the South African Ostrich Industry - SAOBC]

In fact as long ago as 1988 it was considered necessary to remove all ostriches from the veld but in the end only the slaughter birds were brought off the veld into smaller pens. 

The last decade has seen a number of studies and discussion on the subject that has now resulted in a new program entitled Tread Lightly.    The aim of the program is to bring the breeders into small pens as pairs and trios thus increasing the stocking density.   Even when running out on the veld the birds were receiving supplementary rations, so it was considered the only additional cost to the farmers will be the cost of additional fencing.

Of course there is a far more important benefit in that managed under those conditions the farmers will be able to maintain full breeding records and identify the good performers and those better culled.     

Quote:  For example, the average no. of chicks produced per female in the 2008 OIBMP study was 25.5 chicks, but monitored individual records of pen-breeding farmers indicate performances in excess of 40 chicks per female. End Quote [Source:  Page 9 ‘Long Term Biodiversity Management Strategy for the South African Ostrich Industry – SAOBC’]

If they improve the quality of their breeder feed they should achieve even greater chick numbers per hen. As Table 2 illustrates, the hatching rate is extremely low, but yet total chicks reported per hen are significantly higher than the breeders on the veld running in colonies.

Table 2 - Main Farm Production Indicators [page 49]

There are a number of papers published on this subject and Googling “Trampling—the effect of too many ostriches on natural veld” will bring them up.  Unfortunately their links are not available for me to provide them in my normal manner.   These papers make interesting reading on some of the history of the SA industry and continue to prove the poor levels of production under veld management conditions.

Editors Comments
For any members who do not know my background, I farmed ostrich on a small scale in South Africa (SA) when the industry was first deregulated and any one could farm ostrich.  Prior to 1994 only members of the KKK were legally allowed to raise ostrich in South Africa.   At that time the new farmers were all learning and looking for answers.   As the internet was becoming established I searched to see what was developing outside SA.  At the same time I was in discussion with several new comers in SA and we were discussing developing a mechanism of communication. 

The SA industry looked to the scientists to provide the answers and supply that information to the feed mills. Reading through the recently published papers from the new generation of scientists has brought back many memories.  It is sad to see that there have been no improvements and developments in their approach that could help the farmers not only in the Oudtshoorn area but also other areas.   Most basic is that most all discussions relating to nutrition reference early work and there are no updates to those basic assumptions or even questioning if there maybe flaws in those assumptions that go back several decades.  This is such a contrast to how the other livestock industries have developed by continually updating and grow in their experience, knowledge and ever improving genetics.    These recent papers when discussing nutrition make fundamental errors such I referenced in last month’s newsletter. 

The pressure on the Oudtshoorn farmers to conserve their local fauna on their veld maybe the trigger they need to finally question their approach.

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