Newsletter No. 51 – June 2007

1.     FAO Statistical Year Book

2.     Ostrich Production News

3.     Feed Costs

4.     Optimum Egg Quality – a practical approach

1.     FAO Statistical Year Book

The FAO Statistical Year Book for 2005/2006 can be viewed at http://www.fao.org/statistics/yearbook/vol_1_1/index.asp and http://www.fao.org/statistics/yearbook/vol_1_2/index.asp. The Yearbook comes in two sections.  The first section includes extensive statistical data on Resources, Production, Trade, Consumption, Prices, Distribution and Welfare.  The second yearbook covers profiles for every country.  The profiles include general information about the country such as population, GDP, Imports and exports.  They also include summaries of resources, the distribution of the resources, production and prices.

The FAO have also updated their online database and have some excellent statistics available for downloading.  You can access the database at http://faostat.fao.org/.

2.     Ostrich Production News

A recent edition of World Poultry has included two items on Ostrich.  One related to production in Zimbabwe and the other production in South Africa.

Zimbabwe

There is a small item reporting a drop in production in Zimbabwe from 55,000 slaughter birds in 2000 to only 6,000 slaughter birds last year. 

Figure 1 - Zimbabwe Production Figures

Figure 1 illustrates the production as reported in the article.  The drop in production is reported to be caused by a number of factors including higher mortality, high veterinary costs and feeding costs.

Those who have visited Zimbabwe recently will know their agriculture industry as a whole has been decimated by the current political situation.  Their industry is working under extremely difficult conditions. 

South Africa

The focus of the article from South Africa was the importance of meat revenue. Reading the article highlights again the importance of understanding value chains as discussed in Newsletter No. 43 (http://world-ostrich.org/member/news43.htm) as it is a discussion on producer production costs and revenue achieved. 

The article is focusing also on the importance of the export meat market for the South African producers and highlighting the difference in meat revenue on the domestic market compared to the meat revenue on the international market.  The article quotes producer price paid per kilo of carcass weight.

South Africa still slaughters birds in excess of 365 days of age and has failed over the years to understand the commercial importance and benefits of reducing days taken to slaughter. Table 1 is a simple illustration to highlight the importance of days taken to slaughter and meat yield.

Column 1 in Table 1 contains the figures as quoted in the article for meat sold on the domestic market at a carcass price of €1.50/kg.  The price quoted for export is €2.20.  On those yields and costs, the margin remains negative.  The rearing costs are as quoted in the article.

Implementing production management techniques, including nutrition able to support the full genetic potential of the current birds and genetic improvement, improved yields are very achievable.   Column 2 illustrates the reduction in loss per bird with increased meat yields.  However, South Africa continues to slaughter at 365 days and greater.  Correct nutrition not only increases meat yields, it also enables fewer days required to slaughter – when combined with the right management techniques.  Column 3 assumes reduction of days to slaughter from 365 to 300 days.  Now the bird is commercially viable for the producer, even on the perceived lower price paid for the meat to go onto domestic market.

Table 1 - Comparative Margins per Slaughter Bird as Discussed in Article

The article complained of harsh grading for the skins by the tanners.  The South African scientists proved that younger slaughter resulted in improved grades.

Note also the improvement per kilo in the slaughter costs when meat yield is increased. 

3.     Feed Costs

Feed costs in livestock production are the largest of all the input costs, but the costs that have direct control of the production and product quality.  There are continued concerns expressed by the mainstream livestock production species on the increasing costs of corn (maize) because of increasing ethanol production.  Whilst there has been some easing of pressure due to creative reformulation of rations, there are warnings that this is limited without putting production at risk. 

Recent reports also suggest that corn (maize) production in Brazil and Argentina are up by some 14 million metric tonnes on last year, with local prices in Brazil close to US$120 per metric tonne.  In contrast, the reports are that prices in Asia have risen to US$230 per metric tonne, putting severe pressure on profits because of local populations’ inability to pay increased prices for the meat.  More on this subject can be viewed by clicking the following link:  Feed Costs - lull before the storm

This creates further opportunities for Ostrich as productive ostrich rations use as much as 40% alfalfa.  As mentioned before, Ostrich are at the beginning of the genetic improvement with very significant room for improving efficiencies whilst current mainstream production specie are at the top end of their genetic ladder.

4.     Optimum Egg Quality – A practical approach

The Poultry Web site has an excellent e-book on line under this title.  The principles of producing quality eggs are the same for all egg layers, but it is important to remember that the nutrient levels differ between specie, with ostrich requiring higher levels than normally recommended in chicken and turkey rations.   Readers can access the front page of the book at http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/.

The book includes a page on Optimum Vitamin Nutrition (OVN).  This is another article on optimum vitamin nutrition.  http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/dnpus/an_opt_vit_nutrition.htm.   A quote from the article: 

Quote: Vitamins are nutrients that regulate the biochemical reactions by which energy and protein are used for health, growth, feed conversion and reproduction. Without vitamins, these biochemical reactions will not occur, and the nutrients present in the feed will not be properly utilized. If the amount of any vitamin in the diet is inadequate to meet the daily requirements of an animal, clinical deficiency signs or disorders due to impairment of these biochemical reactions may occur. The effects of marginal inadequacies will be less obvious, but will include less than optimum health and performance.  End quote

Poor quality ostrich eggs continue to be a major cause of poor conversion of eggs to chicks and high chick mortality.  Poor quality ostrich eggs continue to be a major reason for sub-optimal feed conversion of growing chicks, too many days to slaughter and inability to optimise the full genetic growth potential of the birds.   Ostrich respond remarkably well to Optimum Vitamin Nutrition, when all other management factors are in place correctly.

With increasing pressure on feed ingredient supply and costs, adequate vitamin inclusion in correctly balanced rations is essential to ensure optimum utilisation of all nutrients in the rations.

Copyright © of the World Ostrich Association, All Rights Reserved

HOME

Members

News and Articles