I just received my first egg of the year Friday January 15, this beat
the old date for first egg by 11 days. I am looking forward to an
excellent hatching year, with 7 Breeding Pairs of Ostriches. All of the
hens are looking like they are getting ready to start laying. I am going
to be hatching this year and I hope that my fellow Ostrich producers
will be doing the same. Also I am hoping that you Emu producers have
been hatching your Emu eggs also.
I have heard several producers saying that they will not be hatching
this year.
CONSIDER THIS:

    1.    There are several individual producers trying hard to open up
markets to aid fellow producers to have a place to take their birds and
receive payment (yes I know that slaughter houses are not paying for
birds, I have not received a dime for the birds that I sold to the
slaughter house in 1996 or 1997) My 1998 slaughter birds I am using to
open up my own marketing company.

    2.     If these markets succeed then the producers that are trying
to help all of us in the Industry will require birds from outside
sources. Meaning you our fellow producers.

    3.     A lack of available birds for slaughter will do nothing more
than squeeze the industry even more than it already is. If you want this
industry to succeed we need a supply of slaughter birds, and an ability
to bring them to market at a reasonable cost.

    4.    Acceptance of the meat products from these birds is largely
plagued by the non availability of the meat on the open market or the
erratic supply and high cost.

    5.    Major stores will not introduce the meat until you can supply
all of the stores their chain, and can maintain that supply.

These factors are further complicated by the fact that we are loosing
producers at an alarming rate. We need a base of producers dedicated to
the production of these fine birds. Ones that are determined to make
this industry survive and flourish. This includes finding new producers
and helping them get a start, staying in touch with them after they get
that start, encouraging them to grow and become a productive part of the
industry.
I am not advocating the high costs that birds once were, I paid high
prices myself, because this will bring around an atmosphere that was
previously in the industry.
Where producers did not want to sell slaughter birds because of the
large sums of money they could receive for the breeders. This further
hurt the industry because buyers received the impression they would also
receive enormous sums of money for the offspring of their newly acquired
birds.
Once the market for breeding stock collapsed and there was no slaughter
market to speak of, our industry hit a low. We are still in a recovery
mode having lost in my estimate 60-70% of the producers, based on the
number of local producers that have gotten out of the industry in the
past two years.
I got into the business after I had tasted Ostrich Meat, I found it to
be good quality high tasting extremely low fat meat. I purchased a pair
of Breeders and have been geared to the slaughter market ever since. Yes
I have increased my ranch and I am still increasing, have become
frustrated with the slaughter houses, and have opened up a meat
distribution company. I am doing my part, and there are others out there
doing theirs.
I have received some comments back from my postings in the news groups,
I hope that if your a producer you would take the time to send me a line
or two. Feel free to send them to my personal e-mail address.
I look forward to hearing from you whether you have Ostrich or Emu.

With warm regards,

Robert Ware
Corner Ostrich