Ostrich Farming

[BUBI]

Gentlemen ,

bad news first , I am neither an expat nor do I need a visa . I would further hate to retire in the kingdom nor do I plan to open a bar , diving school , motorcycle rental not do plan to marry Miss Wonderful from Lumpini Park or from a chat site . Reason for my appearance here is that somebody described the Thai Visa Forum to me as South East Asia's foremost platform for agricultural issues , emphasis ostrichs . Unfortunately the search function delivers nothing but insignificant material . I am , basically ,after something that following a reasonable investment could give a North Eastern family a decent income based on the 10 Rai or whatever they usually have . In other words, the project is pure abstract science . Her name is Nok .

I have now been travelling through the kingdom various times investigating the possibilities and finally started to research the ostrich business . Last trip led me to somewhere 2 hours outside BKK passing Grand Palace and a bridge , Kanchanaburi direction . Sorry but Thai city names mean nothing to me . This place has been on Channel 5 some months ago and is run by an impressively clever Thai ( not Chinese ) female citizen and according to her and what else I found out there seems to be something worthwhile to be considerd . In fact what I found out sounds damned good . I am now researching the downside because some places did shut down in the meantime and I would like to know what went wrong . In case there is any knowledge available please be so kind to share it . I would in turn be happy to discover some basics if of interest .

Cordially

BuBi

[farangconnection]

Gentlemen ,

bad news first , I am neither an expat nor do I need a visa . I would further hate to retire in the kingdom nor do I plan to open a bar , diving school , motorcycle rental not do plan to marry Miss Wonderful from Lumpini Park or from a chat site . Reason for my appearance here is that somebody described the Thai Visa Forum to me as South East Asia's foremost platform for agricultural issues , emphasis ostrichs . Unfortunately the search function delivers nothing but insignificant material . I am , basically ,after something that following a reasonable investment could give a North Eastern family a decent income based on the 10 Rai or whatever they usually have . In other words, the project is pure abstract science . Her name is Nok .

I have now been travelling through the kingdom various times investigating the possibilities and finally started to research the ostrich business . Last trip led me to somewhere 2 hours outside BKK passing Grand Palace and a bridge , Kanchanaburi direction . Sorry but Thai city names mean nothing to me . This place has been on Channel 5 some months ago and is run by an impressively clever Thai ( not Chinese ) female citizen and according to her and what else I found out there seems to be something worthwhile to be considerd . In fact what I found out sounds damned good . I am now researching the downside because some places did shut down in the meantime and I would like to know what went wrong . In case there is any knowledge available please be so kind to share it . I would in turn be happy to discover some basics if of interest .

Cordially

BuBi

We had an Ostrich farm with 50 birds, they are very difficult to keep and need hard work all the time. It is not something a Thai can handle. Unfortunately we bought the farm, already quite successful the same week that we purchased the farang connection, so we handed it over lock stock and barrel to our in-laws, to run and maintain,who made a complete hash of it. Oh, we got a lot of meat alright to sell in the restaurant, but that was it.No eggs,no skins,no feathers. The skins and feathers they threw way,the eggs just didn't come. We sold one bird to a school, and they got eggs straight away. No, I would steer away from Ostrich farming. Also the birds fight amongst themselves, sometimes to the death( hence loads of meat) and when they are not fighting internally they kick sh1t out of anyone who ventures near them. The end came when one badly injured my pa-in-law. All in all it boils down to if you want to farm Ostriches you must have a crew trained in Ostrich farming.Hope this gives you a bit of an insight

[wileycoyote]

I believe there is an ostrich farm near Chiang Rai

[BUBI]

Sir ,

thank you for your input . You say you bought " farang connection " , what is that , an electrical adapter ? Anyhow , my findings are entirely contrary to what you are saying . Apart from your statement that untrained Thais would probably not run an ostrich farm properly . Anybody untrained would not succeed I guess.

I looked at that project from the rear end , meaning what to do with the animal once his time has come . Marketing aspect . You need somebody to handle this , volume is too small for a single ostrich outlet to handle the sales. Here is what I am heading for : The clever lady with the ostrich farm sells you the young ostrichs , maybe 2 months old , your choice . You feed them for a year or some more and they come with the truck and young animals to buy the grown up ones . She has a deep freezer building state of the art and an extra farm just to treat the eggs and young ostrichs . Perfectly organised place , you don't believe you are in Siam .To my current maths roughly 15000 USD would get things going . Mrs Clever offers free ostrich training to interested parties .

The birds on her farm are pieceful , cemetery style kind of environment , one man handles about 80 of them birds in silence . They put the ostrichs by 8 together and mostly it is grass they eat . Farming buffaloes is a nervous battle in comparison . I wasn't bitten at all , they only attacked my baseball cap but that was maybe because it was from BMW .

Thanks again for your comment

BuBi

[fruity]

look at www.malaiostrichfarm.com

This is the website for the Siam Ostrich Marketing Co Ltd, Thailands biggest producer.

Sir ,

thank you for your input . You say you bought " farang connection " , what is that , an electrical adapter ? Anyhow , my findings are entirely contrary to what you are saying . Apart from your statement that untrained Thais would probably not run an ostrich farm properly . Anybody untrained would not succeed I guess.

I looked at that project from the rear end , meaning what to do with the animal once his time has come . Marketing aspect . You need somebody to handle this , volume is too small for a single ostrich outlet to handle the sales. Here is what I am heading for : The clever lady with the ostrich farm sells you the young ostrichs , maybe 2 months old , your choice . You feed them for a year or some more and they come with the truck and young animals to buy the grown up ones . She has a deep freezer building state of the art and an extra farm just to treat the eggs and young ostrichs . Perfectly organised place , you don't believe you are in Siam .To my current maths roughly 15000 USD would get things going . Mrs Clever offers free ostrich training to interested parties .

The birds on her farm are pieceful , cemetery style kind of environment , one man handles about 80 of them birds in silence . They put the ostrichs by 8 together and mostly it is grass they eat . Farming buffaloes is a nervous battle in comparison . I wasn't bitten at all , they only attacked my baseball cap but that was maybe because it was from BMW .

Thanks again for your comment

BuBi

[Gary A]

I know very little about these creatures. What I DO know is that they are mean cantankerous creatures that will bite and are able to kick like a mule. That huge body and VERY small head should tell you something.

[ozzydom]

I know very little about these creatures. What I DO know is that they are mean cantankerous creatures that will bite and are able to kick like a mule. That huge body and VERY small head should tell you something.

The Agricultural Research Farm at Phang Khon has some,they are the sorriest looking birds you could imagine.

[soundman]

My father in law tried to (unsuccessfully) farm ostrich about six years ago. The whole exercise set him back more than 1,000,000B with the only people benifiting being the staff who got to eat one of the buggers when they died.

He was paying 5,000B for a 12" high chick. You have to be careful with these and keep them seperated from adults until they are almost adult themselves. Dogs will kill them up to a height of about 1.5m. I remember the new batch of chicks escaping their enclosure and watching in horror as one of the house dogs ran down the yard and killed eight chicks before my very eyes.

Ostrich are high maintenance. They will quickly eat all available feed in the paddock. This means a flock of 50 birds will require a truck load of greens per day. Labour intensive collecting and distributing it. I don't know if you can actually buy feed for ostrich, but they certainly eat alot.

High fences are a must. Big yard is a must. Small yard, lots of birds - fighting all the time - many dead birds.

Dangerous, cantankerous animals. Rarely will they attack from the front, their prefered mode is sneaking up behind and lashing out with their powerful legs. Three of our staff ended up in hospital from injuries received from ostrich attack.

In the end, our ostrich pen had about 70 adult birds. One day healthy, next day dead - all of them. Probably bird flu.

The only money I see being made from ostrich farming is establishing a successful breeding program. Ours never bred.

Soundman.

[BUBI]

Agreed principally . The ones I have seen so far looked lousy due to the feathers being dirty and thin . This is probably due to the limited space they have available , under ideal circumstances they live on open grass land and can do a speed test from time to time . But wild boar also looks as if in better mood than pigs in a cage , there is nothing ideal about farming animals . There is also nothing ideal about working in an office isn't it ?

My thanks go out to khun Fruity for the link to Siam Ostrich , I will visit this property next month .

BuBi

Edited June 12, 2008 by BUBI

[BUBI]

Agreed principally . The ones I have seen so far looked lousy due to the feathers being dirty and thin . This is probably due to the limited space they have available , under ideal circumstances they live on open grass land and can do a speed test from time to time . But wild boar also looks as if in better mood than pigs in a cage , there is nothing ideal about farming animals . There is also nothing ideal about working in an office isn't it ?

My thanks go out to khun Fruity for the link to Siam Ostrich , I will visit this property next month .

BuBi

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

About 10 years ago Ostrich farms were the thing in Queensland. Near as I could tell they all went broke or moved into something else. The chick sellers and the fence sellers made good money though.

[Smithson]

But wild boar also looks as if in better mood than pigs in a cage , there is nothing ideal about farming animals .

BuBi

Don't know about that, domestic pigs look fairly tame compared to wild boar

[ozzydom]

About 10 years ago Ostrich farms were the thing in Queensland. Near as I could tell they all went broke or moved into something else. The chick sellers and the fence sellers made good money though.

Tassie was the same,the smart ones moved into deer and Alpaca and did fairly well.

[BUBI]

Sir ,

if you ring Thai mobile 018171150 you will have the privilege to talk to the lady who runs the ostrich place which has been on Channel 5 . She does not mind visits and will show you or anybody around . There are 2 large farms , perfectly organised , clean and profitable . I can't see how you can loose moneys with ostrichs ; the investment is low and if you have enough of ostrichs you shoot all and sell the meat . A lot of things are cheaper in Siam than in Australia , for example brothels ***and fences round ostrich farms .

*** guessing

Edited June 13, 2008 by BUBI

[ozzydom]

Sir ,

if you ring Thai mobile 018171150 you will have the privilege to talk to the lady who runs the ostrich place which has been on Channel 5 . She does not mind visits and will show you or anybody around . There are 2 large farms , perfectly organised , clean and profitable . I can't see how you can loose moneys with ostrichs ; the investment is low and if you have enough of ostrichs you shoot all and sell the meat . A lot of things are cheaper in Siam than in Australia , for example brothels ***and fences round ostrich farms .

*** guessing

And from what source did you ascertain the profitability of farming ostrich,did they show you their accounts books or tax receipts.

You last post reads more like you have some active role in this farm from channel 5, if so this is all spam , if not let us have some details after you are established and have results to report.

[slapout]

BUBI, Your advice to contact the lady who run ostrich was directed at whom? The comments I have read since your intial post did not seem to indiciate a intrest in this type of operation by anyone. I would be more interested in raiseing crawdads, or Bull frogs, if very little investment were required. At least these critters are not prone to attack mode when you turn your back on them. Now I am wondering how you go about killing a adult ostrich for meat, wringing the neck does not appear to be a good option, maybe rig a gillotine and put the feed box in front. Think I will have a cool one and consider this problem.

[BUBI]

No active or inactive role in the ostrich farm I mentioned , delete the number if you think it's safer . Just a great example of a Thai citizen who gets her act together without a boyfriend sponsor, I am further admittedly somewhat enthusiastic about ostrichs since I bought some nice shoes recently . May take some time to honour your invitation about the proceedings , just be patient . Thanks all for your input . Maybe Eucalyptus is the deal , I am flexible.

Cordially

BuBi

[HenryLongfellow]

I visited a farm west of Brisbane on the day that they were loading a truck with fully grown birds. The farmhands would have to get close enough behind some of the less co-operative birds so it couldn't lash out with the feet then staddle from behind holding the neck near the head so as not to get bitten and then walk the birds into the truck. I think letting go was the most dangerous part.

One look at that and I decided that there's gotta be easier ways to earn a living.

[bina]

a good ostrich is an ostrich chopped up issaan style and served sspicey...

our male almost killed our thai worker.... and an other older fix it guy that went in to fix a water thingy (sorry cant remember what they are called in english), for animals to drink from..

the male ended up on the grill (one swing of a metal bar on his head was all that was needed); female layed eggs that no one would eat (not kosher) except the thai workers, and in the end she went the way of the male...

in general, not an easy animal to work with, and the market went out a long time ago. the ostrich farm up north in israel went bankrupt (hence the female and male we had);

how often can we repeat: farming/animal husbandry is a serious gamble unless u have spare money, time and knowlegable workers on site... and its 7/24/365...

been out of it (animal husbandry) for four months (now vet assistant for small animals- what a difference); suddenly i have spare time....

bina

israel

[lampard10]

Sir ,

if you ring Thai mobile 018171150 you will have the privilege to talk to the lady who runs the ostrich place

*** guessing

And nobody has pointed out that is not even a Thai number, shows you how much people look at these posts. and understand them

Edited June 14, 2008 by lampard10

[geovalin]

Ostrich farm in Pitsanuloke - Sokhuthai

My friend from Belgium [fluent in English, German, French, Dutch] has an Ostrich farm there. You can contact him at <[email protected]>

[rice555]

Hello lampard10, I just got a business card with the "8" missing, some people don't buy new when there tight.

If you put an "8" in their, it rings! You remember when they changed the numbers? It may the wrong number to the right place, but it does ring. The card I got was from a multinational company. He also gave me an bank account number that was one number short. TIT

rice555

[lampard10]

Hello lampard10, I just got a business card with the "8" missing, some people don't buy new when there tight.

If you put an "8" in their, it rings! You remember when they changed the numbers? It may the wrong number to the right place, but it does ring. The card I got was from a multinational company. He also gave me an bank account number that was one number short. TIT

rice555

I knew that, but cheers anyway. I was just retaliating on " Whats the Farang Connection? An electrical adapter?" But even so, thay can't be very succesful if they can't afford to change their cards after three years or so.

Edited June 15, 2008 by lampard10

[ETC]

Agreed principally . The ones I have seen so far looked lousy due to the feathers being dirty and thin . This is probably due to the limited space they have available , under ideal circumstances they live on open grass land and can do a speed test from time to time . But wild boar also looks as if in better mood than pigs in a cage , there is nothing ideal about farming animals . There is also nothing ideal about working in an office isn't it ?

My thanks go out to khun Fruity for the link to Siam Ostrich , I will visit this property next month .

BuBi

Bubi

Am a bit puzzled why no one has mentioned raising Emus.The Emu, native to Auatralia, has been traced back nearly 60 million years to the age of the dinosaur. The Emu is a member of the ratite (flightless birds) family and second only to the ostrich in size. The next smaller is the Rhea.

I raised Emus for a number of years ago but decided that the market was to soft due to the cost of properly maintaining the birds versus what one must charge to be profitable.

Right now in the U.S. you can buy regular bovine (beef) hamburger for around U.S. $2.49/lb or on sale for around U.S. $1.59/lb. Just today I checked with our local meat supplier and Emu hamburger was going for U.S. $7.98/2lb or U.S. $3.99/lb.

My wife is a Thai Chef and we own several Thai restaurants in Thailand and one in the U.S. and Emu meat is on all our menus, as the meat is extremely low in fat and has the look and texture of beef. Emu meat is being sold to upscale restaurants, meat markets and to health-conscious consumers and emu oil to health food stores, pharmacies, hospitals and to those consumers wanting relief from joint and muscle pains and various skin problems. The birds also provide a high quality hide for leather, not to mention the many uses for the eggs and feathers.

One must still remember that Emus are not domesticated animals but they are far easier and safer to raise versus the ostrich. Besides their powerfull legs they have a beak that can crack your skull with with one well placed peck.

I caution anyone considering raising ratites that there is much hype about profitibility and in some ways that is probably correct, but

much of that profit comes from selling breeding pairs and young birds to new growers. History has shown the greatest percentage of those new growers fail for a number of reasons and I would suggest to anyone, considering an investment in this area, to create your market before you spend your money.

Edited June 25, 2008 by ETC

[pricklyheat]

You say you bought " farang connection " , what is that , an electrical adapter ?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one.......lol....Some of us who have tried the place have other names for it...........lol.....

[Tigs]

Bubi

I have been browsing this forum for some time but you have just got me to register.

I have no advice on the Ostich, I was compelled to register and comment that, for someone who came on here, seeking advice from other forum members, i find your approach quite staggering. Having read this thread twice, i still come to the conclusion that your posts are rude, demeaning and uncalled for. I am surprised that you have had the civil response from other forum members that you have had so far.

Not every expat in Thailand is here for the reasons you seem to have stereotyped us all with.

I am neither an expat nor do I need a visa . I would further hate to retire in the kingdom nor do I plan to open a bar , diving school , motorcycle rental not do plan to marry Miss Wonderful from Lumpini Park or from a chat site

After such an opening i would have been inclined to tell you that you could stuff the chance of any advice where the sun doesn't shine. You have appeared to have not learnt one vital lesson in the kingdom that you seem to have travelled up and down extensively, and that is that it is a land of mutual respect.

Further Thailand is not all about brothels either.

You may not wish to

marry Miss Wonderful from Lumpini Park or from a chat site

, but you seem smitten enough with 'Mrs Clever'.

I suggest that basing the lively hood of a family in the North on a business idea inspired by a pair of nice new shoes is perhaps unwise.

Just a great example of a Thai citizen who gets her act together without a boyfriend sponsor,

mmmm! It would seem to me that the only real knowledge you have of Thai people is what has been gained in the clearly countless hours you have sat in 'Pat Pong'.

You really need to get our more.

Good luck

Edited June 28, 2008 by Tigs

[wagner54]

Agreed principally . The ones I have seen so far looked lousy due to the feathers being dirty and thin . This is probably due to the limited space they have available , under ideal circumstances they live on open grass land and can do a speed test from time to time . But wild boar also looks as if in better mood than pigs in a cage , there is nothing ideal about farming animals . There is also nothing ideal about working in an office isn't it ?

My thanks go out to khun Fruity for the link to Siam Ostrich , I will visit this property next month .

BuBi

Bubi

Am a bit puzzled why no one has mentioned raising Emus.The Emu, native to Auatralia, has been traced back nearly 60 million years to the age of the dinosaur. The Emu is a member of the ratite (flightless birds) family and second only to the ostrich in size. The next smaller is the Rhea.

I raised Emus for a number of years ago but decided that the market was to soft due to the cost of properly maintaining the birds versus what one must charge to be profitable.

Right now in the U.S. you can buy regular bovine (beef) hamburger for around U.S. $2.49/lb or on sale for around U.S. $1.59/lb. Just today I checked with our local meat supplier and Emu hamburger was going for U.S. $7.98/2lb or U.S. $3.99/lb.

My wife is a Thai Chef and we own several Thai restaurants in Thailand and one in the U.S. and Emu meat is on all our menus, as the meat is extremely low in fat and has the look and texture of beef. Emu meat is being sold to upscale restaurants, meat markets and to health-conscious consumers and emu oil to health food stores, pharmacies, hospitals and to those consumers wanting relief from joint and muscle pains and various skin problems. The birds also provide a high quality hide for leather, not to mention the many uses for the eggs and feathers.

One must still remember that Emus are not domesticated animals but they are far easier and safer to raise versus the ostrich. Besides their powerfull legs they have a beak that can crack your skull with with one well placed peck.

I caution anyone considering raising ratites that there is much hype about profitibility and in some ways that is probably correct, but

much of that profit comes from selling breeding pairs and young birds to new growers. History has shown the greatest percentage of those new growers fail for a number of reasons and I would suggest to anyone, considering an investment in this area, to create your market before you spend your money.

[wagner54]

I too am very interested in raising emus and rheas, they are both much easier to handle then ostrich are I have been trying to find a source for chicks but have been unable to locate any in Thailand. If anyone knows where I could buy some any where in Thailand I would be ost greatfull for any information you could give me.

[ETC]

I too am very interested in raising emus and rheas, they are both much easier to handle then ostrich are I have been trying to find a source for chicks but have been unable to locate any in Thailand. If anyone knows where I could buy some any where in Thailand I would be ost greatfull for any information you could give me.

wagner...my initial google search has not turned up any sites in Thailand where a person can purchase Emus and Rheas. Emu meat and oil products can be found however. I will look further and if I come accross anything that I think you might be interested in I will post it here.

Might I add that I truly enjoyed raising my Emus, but it was at a time when the cost of producing emu meat, in the United States, far out weighed the market.

If I were a little younger I too would look for a source for chicks and maybe give it a go in LOS.

Good Luck..

Jim

[wagner54]

Hi Jim

I too keep coming up with banks on my searches. When I seen that they had emus in the zoo in Bangkok I thought my search was over but when I inquired about buying some they told me they can't sell any of their critters so I asked what they did with their surplus baby critters they wouldn't give me a answer. I know that zoos in the states sell their surplus but I sure assumed wrong about LOL. Thanks for trying and have a good day

Choke Dee

Roger