Contact Details :
Craig Culley, Secretary
World Ostrich Association
33 Eden Grange
Little Corby
Carlisle, UK CA4 8QW
Tel +44 1228 562 923
Fax +44 1228 562 187
Email:
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World Ostrich Association Newsletter No. 94
January, 2011
Included in this edition:
Season’s Greetings
FAO Food Outlook
Feed Efficiency: On-Farm Checks
Bygholm Sieve and Food Particle Size
Season’s Greetings
Your directors wish you all a very happy and successful 2011.
2010 has passed with continued demand from buyers for our meat, but challenges to coordinate production with demand remain. There are glimmers of hope developing amongst a number who have been involved with our industry for many years and their years of work may be finally showing fruit.
FAO Food Outlook
Food Outlook is a biannual publication (May/June and November/December) published by the FAO focusing on developments affecting global food and feed markets and is available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.
Figure 1 illustrates very clearly how food prices were fairly stable during 2006, rose dramatically in 2007 and eased in 2008 returning to only a little above the 2006 prices. Then 2009 saw prices on an upward trend with blips along the way – but the second half of 2010 has once more seen a rapid rise.
Figure 2 shows the various commodities. From a livestock production viewpoint, it is interesting to note the rapid rise in the cost of cereals but meat and dairy remaining fairly stable throughout the period. The article below discusses the importance of forward buying – as this is common practice in the livestock production industry, it can be expected that meat prices are likely to rise as the effect of the increased cost of cereals is felt by the meat industries. Page 1 summarises the reasons for the cereal price increases.
Figure 1 - FAO Food Price Index as at December 2010
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Figure 2 - FAO Food Commodity Price Indices as at December 2010
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The excel file containing the data behind these graphics can be downloaded here.
Figure 3 illustrates the change in meat prices over the period from1990 to 2010. As can be seen from the details, these are generally export prices when traded as a commodity and in the case of beef, lower end cuts.
Figure 3 - FAO Meat Price Indices (2002-2004=100)
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Composition of INDICES
Poultry Meat Index
USA: Broiler Cuts, export unit value
Japan: Broiler Import Price (c.i.f) Frozen, other than leg quarters
Brazil: Export Unit Value for Chicken (f.o.b.)
Bovine Meat Index
USA: Frozen beef, export unit value
Japan: Beef Import Price (c.i.f.): Boneless cuts, fresh or chilled
Argentina: Export unit value of chilled and frozen beef cuts.
Australia: Up to Oct02: cow forequarters frozen boneless, 85% chemical lean, dif US port (East Coast) ex-dock.
From Nov02: chucks and cow forequarters
Pig Meat Index
USA: Export Unit value from frozen product
Japan: Pork Import Price (c.i.f.): Frozen boneless cuts |
They state:
World meat trade is forecast to grow by 2.8 percent in 2010, to 26.1 million tonnes, sustained by a brisk growth in pig meat, but also by gains in bovine and poultry meat. However, in the case of poultry, the most widely traded meat, the expansion of world exports is likely to be constrained by the imposition of sanitary restrictions by major importers. Increased purchases from Asian countries are expected to fuel much of the expected increase of meat trade, more than compensating for a 15 percent reduction of imports by the Russian Federation, which had emerged as the second largest meat importer in 2009, after China. |
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Figure 3 and the full narrative can be viewed here. The FAO Food Outlook November 2010 edition contains 119 pages of market reports and statistical data.
Feed Efficiency: On-Farm Checks
This is the title of an article that can be viewed at the Pig Site. It references a new series of ‘Knowledge Transfer Bulletins’ from BPEX. The topic covers an extremely important aspect of livestock production and the basic principles are as true for ostrich as they are for pig production. Therefore I have copied it into this newsletter and amended the wording as it applies to ostrich production. As you will see, there are very few adjustments. I have deleted the tables as those related to space requirements, building temperatures and water flow for the nipple waters – all will be different for Ostrich.
Although actual feed prices are largely beyond your control, there are a number of routine checks that you can complete on your unit to assess efficiency. It is likely that you will be doing a number of these already, but take the time to specifically look around your unit and double check that this is actually the case, as five to 20 per cent of feed is often wasted on a typical hatch-to-finish unit! Feeding spaceIs there adequate feeder/hopper space for the number and size of chicks in the pen? Take time to look, are birds crowding around the feed hopper or trough? Feed flow ratesAre all the hoppers working correctly? Adjust the feeder flow rates to maintain intake but reduce wastage. Depending on the hopper, flow rates may need to be adjusted as the chicks grow. Check each hopper to ensure that the feeding system works. Feed qualityThe presence of dust, fines or lumps of clogged feed will reduce feed intake. Check if the hopper or auger mechanism is damaging/crushing the feed or affecting the pellet size, increasing wastage. Try using a Bygholm sieve to check particle size. [see next article] Feed storageInspect bins and check feed for signs of mould and mites. If found, identify the source, e.g. clogged feed in the hopper or poor storage (i.e. damp and humid). If mould is present, discard the affected feed and take remedial actions immediately. SpillageHow much feed is being wasted from falling down between the slats or being spilt onto the floor around the trough and spoilt? This is expensive wastage. Identify why it is happening; is the hopper design incorrect for the size of chick/bird, is overstocking causing uneven feeding, do feeder flow rates require adjustment or do the feed hoppers or feed system require repair? Feed ordersReview your storage capacity and when placing feed orders discuss optimal load sizes with your feed supplier. Vermin and birdsIs there evidence of rodents and/or birds on your unit? Look again at rodent and bird control. When was the last time the bait was changed? Is it time to change it? Not only are vermin a health risk but they can also lead to expensive feed waste. TemperatureMonitor the daily minimum/maximum temperatures within buildings. High temperatures reduce the appetite and therefore growth rate of pigs. Cold temperatures cause pigs to use energy to maintain body heat, rather than using it to grow. WaterCheck water availability and flow rates. Water intake drives feed intake and therefore affects growth rate and FCR. See below for recommended flow rates and water requirements.
- Are there sufficient functioning drinkers, providing a ready source of clean water? Ostrich require sufficient space to enable the scooping action when drinking.
- Check flow rates, you just need a measuring jug/cylinder and a watch. Adequate flow rates are as essential as the number of drinkers.
- Are drinkers at the correct height for stage of bird and are they correctly positioned to allow ready access?
- Ensure water is not too hot (sun) or too cold. Just off freezing is too cold for Ostrich and they will slow consumption and then feed intake.
FightingIs there evidence of pecking or fresh scars in the group from fighting at or around the feeder? This is an indication that there may not be enough feeding space or that hopper placement/access is inadequate and requires improvement. HygieneCheck that the feeders are clean and that there is no caked feed or fouling in the feeder trough area. This should be cleaned out on a daily basis, to reduce wastage and to encourage intake. Long-Term PlanningIt is clearly to the advantage of the ostrich producer to minimise the variation in future feed costs. This is essentially done by “locking in” prices. Although future prices may be locked in at higher than current prices, this should be more than outweighed by the knowledge of what your future feed costs are going to be. This knowledge is essential to successful business planning. |
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Bygholm Sieve and Food Particle Size
The above article discussed Food Particle Size and the use of the Bygholm Sieve as a tool to evaluate the accuracy of the particle size. The importance of particle size is as important with ostrich production, though the particle sizes will be a little different. This article discusses an Essex pig farmer who mills his feed on farm.
This farmer had noticed increased restlessness, aggression and tail biting among his finishing pigs when a particular variety of wheat was included in the diets. By using the Bygholm Sieve they found that although a particular wheat variety produced a similar particle size to other wheat varieties, it was stickier. After removing the 'sticky' wheat from the feed, no further problems were seen.
Later they used the Bygholm Sieve to analyse other grains. They found that 10 per cent of the rapeseed meal sampled was too coarse because some of the fine material had stuck together and formed clusters. They also found that the unmilled soya (HiPro) showed similar results with up to 10 per cent of the product being too coarse to be digested effectively by pigs.
A quote from the farmer: “We spend so much money on feeding our pigs, so why not put a little effort into analysing the feed for optimal efficiency?”
This page describes the Bygholm Seive. This example illustrates clearly the degree of detailed management incorporated by the pig industry to optimise their feed performance and feed conversion. It illustrates how the best stay in a business that has become extremely competitive operating on very tight margins. Figure 3 illustrates how the price of pigmeat over the years has reduced despite the ever increasing costs. It is attention to every detail that is a key to successful meat production on the farm.
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