An ostrich farm is the first step into big business. Ostrich farm as a business

Attention! The free business plan offered for download below is a sample. A business plan that best suits the conditions of your business must be created with the help of specialists.

The story is told by a farmer, and now a successful private entrepreneur from the Vladimir region, Alexander Petrakov, owner of an ostrich farm. Alexander already had a small farm. He purchased an incubator and several dozen ostrich eggs, and started his unusual business. Alexander himself, his wife and two children work on a small farm. Exotic meat and ostrich eggs aroused keen interest, and Alexander easily found a market in the form of two grocery hypermarkets.

Business plan for ostrich breeding. We create inexpensively!

Introduction. Exotics - as a way to make money

I was born and raised in the village. I have been engaged in peasant labor all my life, and I don’t think I should be ashamed of it. I enjoy farming and working on my land.

However, earning money through honest peasant labor is difficult, if not impossible. Of course, we didn’t die of hunger, but we didn’t have any extra money either. It is difficult to get rich by growing potatoes and calves.

Some kind of unusual idea. Something that can set me apart from other farmers and save me from competition.

And one fine day, on TV I saw a program about an ostrich farm in Canada. Ostriches live in the open air, and the climate there is harsher than Vladimir. I was fired up with ideas and wanted to try raising ostriches on my farm.

A business plan is the beginning of everything

However, ideas alone won't get you far. I have no higher education, I had no idea where to buy ostrich eggs and an incubator. And there was frankly little free money. To be honest, there was only one desire to work and earn money, but there was no clear plan.

Then I decided to make a plan of what I needed to do first, and what issues needed to be resolved:

• How much money will it take to buy equipment and eggs?
• What exactly do you need to buy?
• Where is the best place to buy equipment and eggs?
• What additional buildings will have to be built for the ostriches?

The success of the entire business depended on each of these questions. If I made a mistake at least once, I could say goodbye to the idea of ​​​​owning ostriches in the Vladimir region.

How I found the answers to all my questions

My wife suggested that I need a business plan, and it needs to be drawn up competently and strictly individually. Naturally, I myself could not do such work. I don’t know any economists, and I didn’t have the opportunity to pay them crazy amounts of money either.

The Internet saved the situation. By pure chance, my wife and I managed to find a website that posted a variety of business plans.

I was able to find a plan on a website that involved creating an ostrich farm from scratch, and I couldn't be happier with the luck.

You can download a business plan from the website for very modest money, and it won’t break a hole even in our modest budget.

This plan does not provide for all the subtleties and nuances, but my wife and I, even without having special education, were able to bring it to fruition in five days.

Thus, for a small amount we received an action plan that answered all the questions raised.

Thanks to this plan, within six months we set up a small incubator and raised several of our own ostriches, which will become the basis for the initial population.

Breeding ostriches on an ostrich farm

Some useful information and a brief presentation of the ostrich farm business plan:

Business plan ostrich

This type of business, such as breeding African ostriches, remains practically undeveloped in our country. The total number of these birds in Russia is estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 individuals, which is thousands of times less than the number of cattle or pigs.

At the same time, ostrich meat, eggs and skin have high consumer properties, ostrich feathers and chicks are prized on the market. This species easily adapts to different climatic conditions, rarely gets sick and reproduces quickly.

Taking into account the fact that in Russia the cost of feed, electricity, costs for labor and rent of land plots are relatively small, profitability similar business may be quite high.

The negative aspects of the business idea are the initial investment requirements associated with the high cost of adult birds, the need for fairly spacious enclosures and special equipment.

There are also risks, the main one of which is the lack of sustainable demand for ostrich products. In modern conditions, investments are returned within two years.

Table No. 1. Consumer potential of ostrich farms in Russia

Cost structure

The main one-time costs for organizing an ostrich farm are (in thousands of rubles):

• Purchase of adult birds, based on 75 birds - 6500;
• Purchase of equipment – ​​480;
• Construction of outbuildings – 120;
• Other expenses – 100.

The total amount is 7.2 million rubles.

Ostriches are polygamous birds, the closest to natural conditions is the ratio of males to females is 1:2, 25 families will consist of 25 males and 50 females.

The cost of one bird can range from 50 to 100 thousand rubles; it greatly depends on the sex, age and size of the individual. In the African savannah, ostriches actively move throughout their lives, one of the mandatory conditions content is the presence of spacious enclosures.

This is more than compensated by their high reproductive abilities and the high cost of the chicks.

The equipment includes incubators (converted domestic incubators for chicken and duck eggs have proven themselves quite well), lines for feeding ostriches, heaters providing comfortable conditions for keeping young animals.

In the long term, monthly expenses are much more important, the size of which has the most significant impact on the profitability of such a business.

Table No. 2. Growth of participants in the poultry production market in Russia

Highest value have the following (in thousands of rubles per month):

• Purchase of food for ostriches – 400;
• Advertising costs and marketing research – 35;
• Payment of land rent and agricultural expenses – 65;
• Salary – 200.

Total 700 thousand rubles per month or 8.4 million per year.

An adult ostrich weighing 100-150 kilograms eats about a kilogram of feed, chicks up to 12 months old eat about half a kilogram. It should be taken into account that the need for vitamins and minerals is high at almost any age, which places high demands on the quality of feed.

Income structure

At the current level of prices for ostrich meat, live chicks and adult birds, many experts consider slaughter costs to be inappropriate, and the most important place in income is given to live poultry (figures in thousands of rubles per month):

• Live poultry – 3500;
• Eggs – 1125;
• Feather – 435;
• Tourism – 300.

Total about 5.36 million rubles.

In general, ostrich meat and fat are highly valued in the preparation of dietary dishes, and are very popular in European countries, as is ostrich skin, which is superior in many respects to the skin of other animals.

With increasing demand for such ostrich products, ostrich meat can also play an important role in the income structure.

One of the options for conducting effective own business is an ostrich farm. Breeding ostriches at home is exotic, in demand, and profitable!

Why ostrich farming?

Every year this type of farming becomes more and more great popularity, because it quickly pays off and begins to make a profit after one or two years.

For a businessman who decides to breed ostriches at home, in addition to studying large quantity information from various sources, it is recommended to visit several farms specializing in this type of farming. This is required for formation true impression about the planned business and a clear idea of ​​its optimal management.

Valuable ostrich products

Why ostrich breeding? Because this:

• Meat is a tasty and healthy dietary product that is rapidly gaining popularity due to its rich composition of microelements, high protein content and minimal presence of fat. Reminiscent of veal in taste, ostrich meat lends itself to any type of heat treatment and perfectly absorbs marinades and spices. The meat yield when cutting a carcass is approximately 25-30 kilograms, which is 40% of the bird. One sold ostrich carcass can bring 500 dollars or more, despite the fact that the price per kilogram of such meat in European and American markets ranges from 15 to 25 dollars.

• A fat widely used in pharmacology and cosmetology, as a component in the production of soaps, balms, ointments, and creams. The most valuable is emu fat, which has bactericidal, hypoallergenic, and anti-inflammatory properties. On average, an adult bird is capable of producing from 7 to 15 kilograms of such a valuable product.

• The skin is moisture-resistant, elastic, with a long service life (more than 30 years), used by designers in great demand and is a material for the manufacture of elite models of bags, wallets, shoes, gloves, belts, purses and cowboy shoes, popular among Americans. Ostrich skin, which is comparable in quality to snake and crocodile skin, cannot be faked. The sale of one ostrich skin, the price of which varies from 200 to 300 dollars per piece, completely pays for all the costs of breeding the bird.

• Adult birds are also an important part of a farmer's income. As a rule, breeding chicks and individuals are sold, which can later be used to breed future offspring. A five-day-old chick in Russia costs about $100, a month-old baby ostrich can be bought for $200, and a pair of adult ostriches will cost 3.5 thousand or more.

African ostrich - a favorite of farmers

The African ostrich is the largest breed (weight 100 - 160 kg, height - about 3 meters), due to its unpretentiousness in maintenance, it is grown in more than 50 countries around the world. This bird is able to withstand high and low temperatures. The speed developed when running reaches 50 km/hour.

Emu ostriches, the farming of which is less developed than the keeping of African ostriches, do not require special care. It is important to know the behavior of this bird in natural conditions, so that the artificially created environment can then be optimized to match the natural environment familiar to such exotic creatures.

Brief description of poultry keeping

IN winter period the bird can be kept in unheated rooms on deep bedding; for 6-month-old young birds on cold days the room should be heated to a temperature of 12-18 degrees. The productive season for the African ostrich is from March to October. The egg production of one female per season ranges from 50 to 80 eggs, the weight of which is 1.3-1.8 kg. The incubation period of the young, which hatch simultaneously, is 45 days. The emerging ostrich chicks weigh up to 1 kilogram and are 20-25 centimeters tall. Females reach sexual maturity at 18-24 months, males at 24-30 months.

Feeding ostriches

Ostriches, being an omnivorous bird, feed on what nature provides. Preference is given to vegetation (grass, leaves, fruits, roots). They also do not disdain various animals, birds, small insects and lizards. In general, the poultry diet should consist of 50% green feed, 30% from combined feed, 20% - at the discretion and capabilities of the farmer. Adult birds and young birds over a year old need to be fed 2 times a day, young birds up to a year old - at least 3-4 times.

On farms, poultry whose average daily ration is 3 kg of feed receives:

• (clover, rapeseed, alfalfa, quinoa, white and fodder cabbage, spinach, corn and cereal silage, mustard, nettle, beet leaves, carrots, mulberries).
• Roughage (clover hay, alfalfa, meadow grass, soybean, seradella and cereal straw).
• Root vegetables, fruits and vegetables (pumpkin, radish, cucumbers, carrots, beets, apples, watermelon, bananas).
• Cereals (corn, barley, oats, wheat, rye, millet, sorghum, sunflower).
• Feed additives and
• Minerals (shells, gravel, limestone, egg shells), which ostriches very willingly find and eat with pleasure. This contributes to the normal functioning of the digestive system. By the way, the farm area must be thoroughly cleaned, since ostriches do not disdain any small debris (nails, pieces of plastic).

Ostrich farming systems

Modern ostrich farming adheres to three main systems on which the breeding of these birds is based:

• Intensive. Breeding and keeping ostriches is similar to stall care of livestock in livestock farms. The birds are kept in a small area under conditions where their livelihoods are fully provided by the farm staff, which has a positive effect on the development of the livestock, and especially the young. Close contact and regular grooming make the bird tamed and easy to control. In an intensive system, eggs are removed from nests and incubated, resulting in high rates of reproduction, producing up to 80 eggs per hen per year.

  

  • Extensive. Ostrich breeding is as close as possible to natural conditions: the bird itself more or less worries about itself. Females, thanks to their free movement, can mate with various males, as a result of which the number of fertilized eggs increases markedly.
  • Semi-intensive- united in itself positive qualities of the above systems and is recommended for beginning poultry farmers. Here there is one female for every adult male.

  Where to start? Business plan

  Breeding ostriches in Ukraine and Russia is promising business, because the unpretentiousness of this bird in care and the high cost of ostrich production will pay off new business quickly enough, starting to bring tangible profits in a fairly short period of time.

  The first stage of starting your own farm business There will be a search for a suitable area for keeping ostriches. Where to start breeding ostriches? The first steps are setting up a farm to support them and purchasing young animals or adults.

  

  Of course, ostrich breeding will require certain cash investments, but they are worth it, since they will pay for themselves in the first year of ostrich farming. Although the ostrich is unpretentious bird, however, collateral successful undertaking In the ostrich business, it will be to create the most comfortable conditions for her.

  Costly expense item - farm construction

  Construction of a farm will require significant costs. The cost of the investment will depend on local conditions, personal and rental arrangements, prices for building materials and the work of hired people.

  You will need to build:

  • closed, insulated room, bright and spacious, with an approximate area of ​​150 sq. meters to maintain an average herd of approximately 30 adult heads: per individual there should be at least 50 square meters. meters of land;
  • open enclosures with an area of ​​1500 sq. meters;
  • fencing;
  • communications ensuring the continuous functioning of the farm.

  It is imperative to pay attention to the remoteness of the farm from noisy highways and industries with hazardous emissions; wind protection and relief are also important. Good access roads and proper water supply - necessary conditions smooth operation of the farm.

  Finding less expensive ways

  Farmers who own land with buildings on it will be in an advantageous position.

  Another way with a minimal investment of funds would be to search somewhere in the outback for an abandoned pigsty or cowshed, surrounded by pastures and water. Of course, the premises will require repairs (heating, sewerage and ventilation) and the purchase of equipment, but this option will save a significant part cash, which can be invested directly in the purchase of livestock.

  

  Buying 4 adult families and 6 - 8 females will cost 30 - 40 thousand dollars. You can purchase grown chicks, which will significantly reduce the investment, but will delay the time period for receiving the first profit.

  Breeding work is the right path to healthy livestock

  From the first days, special attention will need to be paid to selection work, periodically updating the flock with good productive birds and culling sick and unsuitable individuals. When forming families, it will be necessary to take into account the mutual sympathies of ostriches, because the mechanical connection of birds may turn out to be unproductive and will cause reduced egg production.

  You will definitely need to get an incubator, the cheapest of which, designed for 45 eggs, costs $1,500.

  To feed ostriches, you will need to buy domestic food that includes vitamin and mineral supplements. The bird will also happily consume oats, corn, barley, millet, bran, hay and straw. In summer and autumn, birds can be switched to green succulent food: alfalfa and clover.

  With a large bird population (500 individuals and above), it is advisable to establish own production feed, which will only reduce the cost of keeping ostriches. Own feed can be sold to neighboring farms.

There are three ways to open an ostrich farm: by incubating eggs, purchasing adult birds, or purchasing an existing business. You can make money from ostriches, but it will take at least 1-2 years to make a profit.

 

Exotic is exotic, and ostriches in Russia have been actively grown for agricultural purposes in recent years. This business may well become profitable direction, if everything is organized correctly. The most interesting thing is that when breeding ostriches, money can be received from more than ten directions. How? Read and find out.

In order for an ostrich farm as a business to be effective and profitable, you need to know the biological characteristics of the birds, observe the feeding and maintenance features, and also be prepared for considerable financial investments into the business.

Where to start: ways to organize a business

Ostriches in Russia are bred in many regions: Bryansk, Moscow, Leningrad, Saratov, Orenburg, Krasnodar region, Kazakhstan. However, the main products - meat and eggs - are not found in every store, much less a restaurant. What is the reason for this? Is it so easy in practice to draw up a business plan for an ostrich farm and organize a full-fledged farm for raising these long-necked exotic birds?

Cost items that must be included in the business plan:

1. Rent or purchase of land (cost varies depending on the region, location, size of the plot);
2. Construction of poultry houses, pens, landscaping;
3. Purchase of adult birds or chicks, eggs, incubators;
4. Equipment of dry premises for storing feed;
5. Equipment for water supply, heating, refrigerators for storing products;
6. Purchase and production of feed;
7. Payment of labor to farm workers.

Black African ostriches are most suitable for breeding for agricultural purposes. These are the largest running birds in the world, the male reaches almost 3 meters in height and weighs 150 kg. They live up to 70 years, the period of active egg laying is 40 years. They are unpretentious and tolerate low temperatures well.

There are several ways to organize an ostrich farm:

• Purchase of eggs and incubation. This is the most difficult path, since special conditions must be met to breed young animals. You can also buy chicks, their cost varies depending on age, for example, day-old chicks can be bought at a price of 6-7 thousand rubles per head. The wait for reproduction will be 2-3 years in this case.
• The second way is high-cost, but simpler - purchasing adult breeding birds. Ostrich breeders recommend purchasing families of ostriches: two females and one male. Having analyzed the offers of Russian ostrich farms, we see that the cost of such a breeding trio at the age of 3-4 years averages 200 thousand rubles. At this age, ostriches are ready to reproduce.

For example, 8 families (16 females and 8 males) can produce 500 offspring per year.

• Purchasing a working farm is the simplest, but most expensive way to organize a business. Price ready-made business depends on location, number of birds, area.

For example, as reported by the online publication Kommersant, an ostrich farm with an area of ​​4 hectares is being sold in the Chelyabinsk region for 17.5 million rubles, the number of birds is 10 breeding birds, there is an incubation system for 75 eggs, a fish pond, a playground, and a souvenir shop . Price relevance: February 2017.

Modern approaches

In agricultural ostrich farming, three main approaches are used:

• Intensive- with this approach, the bird is kept in conditions where all its vital functions are provided by farm workers, so, by analogy, large birds are kept in stalls cattle.
• Extensive approach - when the conditions are as close as possible to natural, this requires spacious pastures.
• The best option, according to ostrich breeders, is a combination of these two approaches - semi-intensive system. It combines the positive qualities of intensive and extensive approaches.

Poultry houses, pastures and farm paddocks are equipped depending on the chosen approach.

Ostrich products: how you can make money

To understand whether an ostrich farm as a business is profitable or not, let’s look at how ostrich farmers make money:

1. Ostrich meat and offal. It is soft and tender, with low cholesterol content. The cost of meat averages from 1 thousand rubles per kilogram (fillet), if in carcasses, then 300-600 rubles. for 1 kg. One bird produces an average of 40 kg. pure red meat.
2. Leather. It is valued much higher than calfskin; products made from it retain their strength for 30 years.
3. Food egg. One ostrich egg can feed eight people, the average price is 600-1000 rubles. Ostriches rush from March to October (depending on climatic conditions, this period may shift slightly). Ostrich egg shells are used in applied creativity and can also be sold, the cost of an empty shell varies from 100 to 500 rubles.
4. Ostrich hatching egg.
5. Young animals for sale.
6. Adult birds for sale. The price of one adult ostrich is from 30-40 thousand rubles.
7. Ostrich fat. It is used in pharmacology and cosmetology, ointments and creams are made on its basis, it is useful for joints and is used as an antiseptic.
8. Feathers. Used in decorative creativity, and also as brooms for sweeping dust from optics and furniture, dust does not stick to them.
9. Organization of excursions. Ecotourism is very popular; organizing excursions to a farm can become a significant source of income.
10. Eyelashes. They are used for cosmetic purposes; they are used to make artificial false eyelashes for fashionistas.
11. Claws. They are used to make jewelry and accessories, fittings: buttons for coats, fur coats, coats.

What and how to feed ostriches

Ostriches do not have teeth, so their food must be crushed. To ensure that the necessary proteins, carbohydrates and minerals are supplied to food, the following are given: lupine, alfalfa, oats, barley, various feedstuffs, millet, corn, soybeans, bran, bone meal, eggshells, cow peas and succulent green feed, shell rock and limestone. To better digest food, they swallow small pebbles and sand.

Working farms

You can see the organization of an ostrich breeding business live if you visit operating farms. We'll tell you how and what modern ostrich farmers make money from.

"Russian ostrich"

In the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region there is a functioning Russian Ostrich farm. Excursions and master classes on making crafts from ostrich egg shells and painting them are widely organized here. There is a café on site and services for celebrations are provided.

In addition, the main products sold are meat, feathers, leather and leather products, eggs and live poultry. The company has been operating since 1999 and is the first and largest in Russia to breed black African ostrich with full cycle.

"Bryansk ostrich"

The Bryansk Ostrich agricultural farm is located in the Unecha district of the Bryansk region. Several dozen birds live on the farm. There is a permanent herd that produces offspring and eggs, which in turn are sold.

The head of the agricultural farm says that the main buyers of the products are Moscow restaurants. Bryansk farmers supply them with meat at a price of 600 rubles per kilogram. About the same price for eggs. The leather is bought by an Italian designer and used to produce expensive branded bags, shoes, and belts.

For the first two years after the founding of the agricultural farm, it was not possible to make money from ostriches. Profit appeared only in the third year of operation. In addition to meat, leather and eggs, schoolchildren regularly come to the farm on excursions, as well as Bryansk farmers, trying to try their hand at ostrich farming, buy breeding trios.

Ostrich farm "Fauna"

The founder of the Fauna farm bought 200 ostrich chicks in Israel and brought them to Kazakhstan in 2001, only 70 of them survived. The business did not generate income and was sold to Bekezhan Daurenkulov, who decided to revive the farm and create a family business.

In the first year, they managed to hatch only 10 ostrich chicks, in the second - 24. For the business to operate fully, its owners believe, the number of birds needs to be increased to 300 heads. “Fauna” supplies meat and eggs to restaurants in Almaty, and also actively organizes excursions for tourists, who bring in the main income.

You can also buy adult birds, the price of which reaches 5 thousand dollars, and chickens - at a price of 500 dollars. Feathers are sold as souvenirs.

To summarize, we can say that an ostrich breeding business can be profitable, but in its organization not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance, starting from considerable investments and ending with the observance of optimal conditions for the full-fledged raising of birds, as well as a slow payback period .

Evgeniy Malyar

# Business ideas

Advantages and disadvantages of a business idea

The average income from one ostrich is approximately 27 thousand rubles. subject to slaughter (meat only). The eggs of one female will add another fifty thousand.

Article navigation

• Brief information for beginners about breeding ostriches
• Advantages of ostrich breeding business
• Problems
• Business plan for an ostrich farm
• Purchase of livestock
• Room and space
• Equipment
• Staff
• Organization of market promotion and sales
• Business registration costs
• Stern
• Ostrich productivity
• How much income can you expect from an ostrich?
• Conditions for keeping ostriches
• Which ostriches breed best in the northern regions of Russia
• Is it possible to breed ostriches at home?
• Content Modes
• Conclusions

The ostrich is a foreign and exotic bird. It began to be bred in Russia relatively recently, and agricultural producers are still wary of this business. The fears are justified: raising such a large creature at home seems problematic - the bird is demanding and needs special care.

It is known that the products that constitute the sources of the “ostrich” profit are expensive, but whether it will be possible to establish stable sales is a big question. In addition, it seems that any animal brought from southern latitudes can catch a cold and become ill in Russia, and the risk of losing livestock is one of the main farming “headaches”.

And yet there are many people who have taken up this business and have not made a mistake. Is ostrich breeding profitable as a business? How much does it cost to join? When can self-sufficiency be achieved? All this and much more will be discussed in our article.

Brief information for beginners about breeding ostriches

It is obvious that for the most part Russian citizens We haven’t even tried such exotic products as ostrich eggs and meat. They get by mainly on pork, beef, lamb, chicken and other common foods. A natural question arises about why these birds are bred by some daredevils, sometimes perceived by others almost as adventurers, and most importantly - for whom?

The reality is that an ostrich farm is a highly profitable enterprise, and there are plenty of people who want to feast on exotic products. Where to start a business? Of course, from a marketing assessment of its prospects.

Advantages of ostrich breeding business

An entrepreneur is motivated to open his own poultry farming business (albeit such an unusual one) by the desire to make a profit. What are the advantages of this business?

• High profitability. As practice shows, the minimum “rise” on ostriches is half the investment, and in the future it can reach 100%. For agriculture - impressive profit margins.
• Stability of demand. It just seems like the expensive meat of these unusual birds may turn out to be unclaimed - restaurants willingly take it, and not even always the most expensive ones. First of all, it tastes like veal. Secondly, it is known that ostrich meat is very healthy and suitable for dietary nutrition.
• Variety of output products. In addition to meat, ostrich farming produces the well-known feathers used to decorate fashionable toiletries. Eggs taste similar to chicken eggs, but are 25–40 times larger in size. There are many people who want to try these scrambled eggs. There is also a shell, the purpose of which is decorative - artists buy it for painting. Fat serves as a valuable raw material in cosmetology. And even droppings and claws can become sources of income, albeit secondary ones.
• Tourist attraction. Yes, the ostrich farm can be called a tourist attraction. People willingly come to see these huge birds and try dishes made from their meat and eggs. Tours provide another source of income for the farm. Fees are charged for many services and attractions, including treating and feeding the birds.
• High livestock survival rate. Despite its exoticism, the ostrich is by no means a sissy. You should know that the range of its South African variety is in a temperate climate, and in Pretoria there are also sub-zero temperatures. Experience shows that an ostrich farm in Siberia is not a fantasy. These birds easily tolerate Russian frosts, and only the chicks require heated rooms. But about the conditions of detention - a little later.
• Demand for young animals. Part of the business strategy is to sell chicks. Competition in this business sector is still low, and you should not be afraid to develop rivals.
• Unpretentiousness. Many farm animals require more careful care than ostriches.
• Rapid growth of market capacity. Russians who have tried ostrich meat get a taste for it, and there are more and more of them.

So, everything is clear about the advantages of business. With minimal costs and effort, the entrepreneur receives sought-after commercial products characterized by high added value. Now it's time to move on to the technical side of things.

Problems

The main task of a beginning ostrich breeder is to properly document his enterprise. The main problem is that poultry breeding requires permission from various supervisory authorities that control this type of activity. You can simply sell the meat, but in this case the profitability will be lower and the payback period will be delayed: the ostrich grows for about a year.

The second important problem is the possible case. The ostrich is unpretentious, but the danger of disease and death of livestock remains relevant. However, it also lies in wait for an ordinary chicken farm.

Business plan for an ostrich farm

When forecasting future profits, you should estimate initial and ongoing costs. Theoretically, you can limit yourself to the minimum number of ostriches, that is, a couple, but in practice it still makes sense to purchase more birds - at least a dozen and a half.

Analysis of initial conditions implies assessment of initial costs, operating current expenses and possible income from sales.

Purchase of livestock

The price of ostriches in Russia in rubles, depending on their age, ranges from 7 to 100 thousand.

The farmer chooses an option depending on financial capabilities and existing skills in handling farm animals. The older the acquired livestock, the sooner you can receive income and the lower the associated risks. On the other hand, the cost of entry into the business increases with the age of the birds.

Room and space

As is already clear, keeping ostriches at home is very problematic - these birds need space. The norm for one and a half dozen individuals is about two hectares of open area, and this area still needs to be fenced (also a cost).

Ostriches love to walk and run, but if the farm is located somewhere in Siberia, then their frost resistance should not be overestimated. Heating in an indoor area is not necessary, but insulated bedding in enclosures is needed, as is fresh air. The ceilings in poultry houses are not lower than three meters (we’ll talk about why this is later). For young animals - a room heated to a temperature of 15 ° C.

Rent of space, premises and expenses for their arrangement should also be added to consumable part business plan.

Equipment

It should be understood that an ostrich farm is essentially a kind of hybrid of a poultry farm with food production. It is best to buy equipment that ensures its long-term performance and reliability - if it fails at the most inopportune moment(and it never happens otherwise), the whole business may be in jeopardy.

Typical equipment for an ostrich farm includes:

In order to minimize costs, a novice farmer can perform some types of work manually. But as the livestock increases, the complexity of operations will increase, and you need to be prepared for their comprehensive mechanization.

Staff

Farming is a troublesome business. An asset as valuable and troublesome as ostrich stock must be protected. Many operations require the constant presence of people, or at least their proximity. The staff of an ordinary ostrich farm, even a small one, usually includes:

• two cattlemen;
• one livestock specialist;
• two security guards;
• accountant.

All these employees need to be paid, and the farmer himself has to live on something. We should not forget that salaries, bonuses and other costs associated with maintaining personnel are subject to taxes and fees.

Organization of market promotion and sales

Hoping for the success of the farm and thinking about how to succeed in breeding ostriches, one should not lose sight of the issues of market promotion of the product. A queue of buyers will not form by itself - they should at least be notified of the existing offer.

To do this, the farmer will have to take part in specialized exhibitions, personally visit the most promising consumers, order advertising materials, publish advertisements in publications for livestock breeders and hold many other events. A great option is your own website. Participation in international exhibitions is possible.

All this costs money, and a lot of it. A beginning farmer, as a rule, minimizes costs, partially compensating for costs through personal efforts.

Business registration costs

To open an ostrich farm, you need organizational and legal status, that is, registration in government agencies And pension fund, which entails the payment of duties, registration tax accounting and other actions and costs inevitable in such cases. The amount of these costs depends on the region where the enterprise is located and other factors. They also need to be taken into account when business planning.

Stern

To feed one ostrich daily, three kilograms of mixed feed are needed, consisting of greens (cabbage, nettles, clover, etc.), vegetables, fruits, grains, hay, soybeans, straw and vitamin supplements. On average, such a diet produced by industry costs approximately 16-22 rubles per kg (for example, KS-300 or KS 420).

By preparing components yourself, you can save money, but you need to ensure compliance with quality and nutritional parameters. The ostrich does not understand anything about economic problems and does not understand difficulties. He grows and develops well if he is fed enough.

Ostrich productivity

Under farm conditions, two-year-old female ostriches lay 40–80 eggs per season (sometimes more). Productivity remains until the age of 35.

The live weight of an adult ostrich can reach 170 kg, but a hundredweight is considered the slaughter norm. After deboning (separating from bones) and disposal of by-products, approximately 55% of pure meat remains, costing a wholesale price of about 500 rubles. per kg (fillet up to 850 rubles, retail – 1000 rubles, carcass – 250 rubles/kg).

An ostrich gains slaughter weight within a period of eight months to a year.

Ostrich fat is considered a valuable product, about 8 kg of which is utilized from each bird. Its sale is problematic due to many bureaucratic difficulties, but it can bring an additional 10% total profit farms.

The skin area of ​​one ostrich is approximately 1 square meter. In wet-salted form, such a quantity is readily accepted for 3 thousand rubles. If a farmer learns how to tan ostrich leather, he will receive 7 thousand rubles. additionally from each individual.

The cost of an ostrich egg depends on its weight and ranges from 800–1000 rubles. for a dining room and 3000 rubles. for incubation. For an empty shell they give 400 rubles.

One ostrich feather costs from 50 to 350 rubles. depending on its aesthetic qualities. Ostrich offal (offal and trimmings) also generate income. The claws are used to make souvenirs.

How much income can you expect from an ostrich?

Complexity and variety of conditions ostrich business does not allow you to predict the rate of profit with high accuracy. At the initial stage, investments in the farm are estimated at approximately half a million to a million rubles based on a livestock of fifteen individuals.

The average income from one ostrich is approximately 27 thousand rubles. subject to slaughter (meat only). The eggs of one female will add another fifty thousand. Obvious high profitability in any case, but the percentage of its norm depends on the chosen farming strategies. Ultimately, it will be higher with self-reproduction of the livestock, but the payback for this option takes longer than with the “slaughter” method of work.

The profitability of a business depends on other factors, including:

• depth of utilization of ostrich products;
• rationalization production processes and costs;
• number of livestock;
• application of the latest meat processing and livestock technologies;
• availability of stable sales channels;
• solvency of the region's population;
• the variety of commercial products offered by the farm;
• degree of severity of the competitive situation;
• personal qualities and hard work of the farmer.

It is known that some large Russian ostrich farms have achieved one hundred percent profitability, that is, a double “rise” of invested funds during one annual production cycle.

In part, the conditions for keeping ostriches in captivity in order to obtain commercial profit from the sale of their meat, eggs and other products have already been discussed above, in terms of calculating costs. Some questions remain, probably of interest to those who have decided to start this business and do not know where to start. Let's look at them.

Which ostriches breed best in the northern regions of Russia

There are three main breeds, according to continents of origin. Breeding emus in Russia is popular due to the ability of Australian birds to quickly adapt to climatic conditions. Domestic farmers also raise African ostriches, which live in the southern part of the continent, where, as you know, there is also winter, only it lasts from May to September. American rheas are too thermophilic, and therefore they are rarely bred in Russia.

In turn, the African variety is divided into subspecies (black, Namibian, Zimbabwean, Masai, etc.), as well as mixed breeds.

African ostriches are favored by their large size, weight up to 175 kg and tolerance to low temperatures. At the same time, high growth (about 270 cm, and sometimes three meters) is a factor that determines the height of the ceiling of the poultry house. Ostriches are very mobile and can be injured by hitting a ceiling.

Another advantage of the South African species is their fertility. The female (by the way, she is larger than the male) lays eggs very actively, producing up to 80 eggs per year, which can be used both as a commodity and to increase the population.

Is it possible to breed ostriches at home?

Of course, you cannot breed ostriches in an ordinary apartment. To understand this, you just need to imagine in your own home a creature almost three meters tall and weighing more than a hundredweight, who also loves to run at the speed of a car. Probably the exception is when raising ostrich chicks, which really need warmth for a short period. They are also not very small, but they do not pose a danger.

It should be remembered that ostriches love water very much. The ideal place for them is a spacious plot of land, bounded on at least one side by a stream, river or pond.

Adults eat twice a day, but chicks need to be fed twice as often.

The sooner the ostrich grows, the faster costs will be recovered and profits will be made. Based on this simple formula, basic technologies for breeding and keeping birds in captivity have been developed.

With the intensive method, incubation of ostrich eggs is carried out using special electrical appliances (they cost a lot). The territory required is relatively small, but it is kept perfectly clean, feeders and drinking bowls are regularly disinfected, and a veterinarian carries out examinations and vaccinations.

Birds do not move very actively, but such conditions are created for them that there is no need to run. It is understood that with abundant feeding and a quiet, comfortable life, meat and fat are gained faster. This method is also called “stall grooming.”

Extensive technology, on the contrary, assumes maximum proximity to the conditions of the savannah, only without predatory animals and hunters. In a fenced area, farm workers rarely have contact with birds - only when necessary. Females hatch their offspring themselves unless the farmer has other plans for the eggs. Ostriches grow up to be less fatty, but more nutritious and natural.

As a rule, experienced farmers, trying to optimize costs and at the same time achieve high quality product, combine the advantages of stall care and extensive “freedom”. The choice of technology is also influenced by the size of the rented space: not everyone can afford to pay for several hectares. However, Russia is a large country, and in many regions (for example, in Siberia and the Far East) there are no problems with space.

Conclusions

To implement it, an initial investment of half a million rubles or more is required.

An ostrich farm requires space, outbuildings and a certain hardware nomenclature.

The most popular breed of ostrich in Russia is the South African and its subspecies.

For a new entrepreneur who doesn't have much starting capital, own farm Breeding ostriches is an excellent way to get, albeit not quickly, but quite a decent profit. At the moment, there are about a thousand medium-sized farms in Russia, although about ten thousand are needed to completely fill the market - you have room to develop, and it will be easier to fit into the market. Breeding ostriches as a business is an ideal opportunity for a beginning entrepreneur to invest their money and be guaranteed to make a profit, because ostrich meat is in great demand, caring for birds does not require special skills and knowledge, and after a year you will recoup your costs and be able to expand your business to new heights . It was not for nothing that the article was included in the section, since in Russia this is still exclusive and few people undertake to breed ostriches. But this shouldn’t scare us in any way - touchscreen phones were once a novelty, but now everyone uses them. In order not to make stupid mistakes due to inexperience, before starting your project, we recommend reading the article from webmaster Alexander. Let's go!

Your own business in breeding ostriches - which way to go

When creating an ostrich breeding business, you should understand that no one will immediately give you the opportunity to raise ostrich chicks and sell them. Of course it's more profitable option than raising ostriches and selling live weight, but there are much more problems here: a lot of authorities, obtaining a breeding permit, constant checks to assess the quality of the birds, obtaining certificates and certificates will definitely not cheer you up. We advise beginning businessmen to choose the easier path - buying ostrich chicks, raising them to slaughter weight for 8-12 months, and then selling meat and other food products obtained from the carcass. In addition, it is cheaper to feed poultry for slaughter, since ostriches are quite unpretentious in food, and there is no need to constantly monitor it. appearance. The demand for ostrich meat and eggs has noticeably intensified recently, as evidenced by screenshots from Wordstat (Yandex query statistics).

And you still have the opportunity to collect the cream.

Ostrich business expenses from A to Z

The advantage of these birds is their indiscriminateness in food and lodging - when creating an ostrich breeding business, it is worth taking this advantage into account. We need to rent or buy a small barn for the ostriches to sleep in and do some minor renovations here. The room must be constantly heated so that the temperature does not fall below 15 degrees. There are two main things to remember! The floor must be kept dry at all times and the room must have good lighting. In a rural area, such a premises will cost us 20 thousand rubles, renovation work approximately 10 thousand. Now it's time to take care of the pen, because ostriches are very active birds and like to run a lot. The dimensions of the pen should be at least 20 meters by 2 meters; if it is larger, it is only a plus. The pen is made of wooden posts and boards; the construction will take another 30 thousand rubles from your budget. This is a one-time cost, now we will move on to fixed costs. One baby ostrich on the fifth day of life costs 3,400 rubles, the same amount is spent on the annual feed requirement. Let's not forget about vaccinations and vitamins for poultry; this will cost another 400 rubles. It turns out that one ostrich takes 7,200 rubles from the budget, plus heating and light costs - a total of about 10,000 rubles per bird.

Income from ostrich breeding

When the ostrich reaches its slaughter weight, namely 100 kilograms, live meat makes up 55% of the total weight. That is, from one ostrich we will get 55 kilograms of meat at a price of 500 rubles per kilogram. It is worth considering that this is the minimum price on the market, and you will have the opportunity to sell it for more. We get 27,500 rubles from meat, but this is not all the profit. After cutting the ostrich, you will be left with feathers, skin and fat, which are also sold. The approximate price of these products is 2500 rubles. As a result, having spent 10,000 rubles on one ostrich, we will receive 28 thousand rubles in income. Considering the duration of growth of ostriches (from 8 to 12 months), the income is not very impressive, but if you have 20-30 ostriches running around in your pen, the picture will change dramatically. Let's not forget that female ostriches are also valuable for the eggs they lay. The price of one egg is 700 rubles; in one season, an ostrich lays about 60 eggs. Add another 42 thousand to your income from just one ostrich. Then your income will depend only on you: how many ostriches you will buy after selling live meat, how many ostrich eggs you will leave for laying eggs, what kind of buyers you will have. There is plenty of room for development, the main thing is the desire to work.
Well, in conclusion, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with this program dedicated to business on an ostrich farm:

Where you can make money: profitable ideas that will help you get rich! How to win the lottery – 4 ways to catch your luck by the tail + 3 incredible success stories