The project of raising ostriches has been carried out for nearly ten years in the sunny and windy land of Quang Binh Province, Central Vietnam and has brought big profits for the locals. It has proved to be a sound direction for economic development in the province.
In 2004, Hoang Thi Minh in Hai Trach Commune, Bo Trach District in Quang Binh Province started raising ostriches on a small scale. After attending a training course on essential ostrich farming skills, Minh invested over 20 million dong to build breeding facilities and bought breeding ostriches from an experimental centre for raising ostriches in Ba Vi, Hanoi. Seeing her success in ostrich breeding, many families in the province established ostrich raising farms which brought them a great income. Since then, ostrich raising has strongly developed and opened a sound direction for developing the province’s economy.
The area for raising commercial ostriches. Photo: Tat Son
The foundation of ostrich coops is covered by a sand layer. Photo: Thanh Giang
The area of raising ostriches for eggs. Photo: Tat Son
Ostrich coops are built simply. Photo: Tat Son
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One of the largest ostrich raising farms in the province is owned by Hung Bien Seafood Company in Bao Ninh Commune in Dong Hoi City. In 2008, the company started raising ostriches in an area of 500m2 and only after five years the company’s total ostrich raising area was expanded to 2ha with hundreds of breeding and commercial ostriches. According to Nguyen Van Dung, Director of Hung Bien Seafood Company, it is not difficult to raise ostriches because this animal is able to adapt to the climate and terrain in Quang Binh.
To develop the ostrich business, Hung Bien Seafood Company established a self-contained ostrich breeding facility, including an administrative area, a system of facilities for brooding eggs equipped with modern incubators, raising chicks, a store of cattle-feed and a slaughter house. In the area for raising chicks, the company invested a system of lights to ensure suitable temperatures and always pays much attention to the cattle-feed and the regimen. Therefore, the chicks develop well and only after 12 months each ostrich weighs about 120-150kg. The male mature ostrich is 2.1-2.75m tall and weighs 120kg-150kg while the female is 1.75-1.9m tall and weighs 90-110kg and can lay about 40-50 eggs/year. Each year, Hung Bien Seafood Company earns about 700 million dong from commercial ostriches and 800 million dong from breeding ostriches.
A female ostrich lays about 40-50 eggs/year. Photo: Tat Son
Checking quality of ostrich eggs before being incubated. Photo: Tat Son
Ostrich eggs are kept in dry places before being incubated. Photo: Tat Son
Two-week old chicks are kept warm by a system of lamps. Photo: Tat Son
Newly hatched ostriches are raised in small cages. Photo: Tat Son
Chicks need to be kept warm at a suitable temperature. Photo: Thanh Giang
Two-week old chicks are carefully tended. Photo: Thanh Giang |
According to the statistics of the Agricultural and Fishing Promotion Centre in Quang Binh Province, the province sells about 500 ostriches each year. Ostrich meat is good for people’s health so it has now becomes a favourite in the market. A kilo of ostrich meat is about priced at 200-220 thousand dong. The ostrich skin and feathers and egg shells can be made into valuable products, such as shoes, wallets, bags, leather jackets, and fine art articles.
Good results from pilot farms have encouraged the locals to expand the ostrich raising farms and invest in breeding technology to develop the ostrich flock to meet the demand in the domestic market and export to foreign countries in the near future.
Photo: Ngan Ha - Photos: Tat Son, Thanh Giang