Let us get you indulged in a little ‘bird watching’ of the business kind. Get a glimpse of the huge market that exists in farming exotic alternative birds
Remember the song about Old McDonald and his farm? Besides having a “chick, chick here and a chick, chick there,” the farmer also had ducks, turkeys and even geese wandering around everywhere.
In India, however, the scenario is not as versatile. Currently, the Indian poultry industry is estimated to be over Rs 30,000 crore and is expected to rise to over Rs 60,000 crore by 2010. But with a steady production of 1800 million kg of poultry meat and 40 billion eggs annually, the industry largely focuses on chicken eggs and broiler meat.
Looking beyond the broiler chicken, there is a huge list of alternative exotic birds that hold good business potential and is largely unexploited in the country as of now. Let’s take a closer look at a few of them.
Emu
Native to Australia, these soft-feathered and flightless birds are mostly farmed for their meat, oil and leather. Emu meat is considered to be low on fat and cholesterol. Its fat is used to produce oil for cosmetics, dietary supplements and therapeutic products. The feathers and eggs of emus are used for arts and crafts purposes and emu leather is used in combination with other leathers to make items like wallets and shoes.
| DARE/"emu"sing facts |
| Average Life Span: 10-20 years |
| Sexual Maturity: 2 to 3 years |
| Breeding Years: 25+ years |
| Mating Season: November to March |
| Eggs per Year: 10-60 |
| Incubation Period: 48 to 52 days |
| Emu Products: Eggs, meat, oil, feathers, leather |
Whether being farmed in Australia, the United States, China or India, emus can survive in a variety of climates. One of the biggest advantages of farming this bird is its excellent feed conversion ratio. An emu can reach up to 2 meters in height and around 65 kg in weight, and yet its annual feed intake does not exceed more than 600 kg. Besides this, emus have a hatchability rate of more than 80% and a chick mortality rate of less than 10%. They are even immune to bird flu!
Another advantage is the fact that it requires very minimal investment in facilities and land area. Research shows that around 68% of the investment has to be made in purchase of breeding stock. The rest of the investments go on the farm and hatchery. Feeding cost per breeding pair per annum was estimated to be Rs. 3,600.
According to the Emu Farmers Association, there are currently around 900 emu farms across fourteen states in the country, with a majority of them in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Most of the income is generated through the eggs, which can fetch you somewhere around Rs 600 to 1000 per egg in the market. Since a pair of chicks can cost as much as Rs 15,000, farmers are hesitant to sell emu meat, even though it can be sold for anywhere between Rs 300-750 per kg.
Ostrich
Native to Africa, these flightless birds are the largest living species of birds and lay the largest egg of any bird species. They are farmed in over 50 countries, particularly for their meat, oil and leather. Like emus, ostrich meat is also considered to be extremely healthy. It is low on fat, cholesterol and calories and rich in protein and iron. There has been an increase in the demand for this meat, especially after the threat of mad cow disease, and it is becoming a popular choice in restaurants in Europe, Japan, Australia and China. Ostriches are also farmed for their feathers, which are being used as raw material for fashion accessories, show business, brushes and automobile accessories.
| DARE/about an ostrich |
| Average Life Span: 30-70 years |
| Sexual Maturity: 2 to 4 years |
| Breeding Years: 30+ years |
| Egg Laying Period: March to September |
| Egg Laying: 60 eggs average per breeding |
| Incubation Period: 35 to 45 days |
| Growth: 1 cm/day during the first 6 months |
| Marketable Age: 12 months |
| Ostrich Products: Leather, meat, feather, oil |
| Meat Output: 30-35 kg fillet and steak |
Ostriches can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. The climate of India, with zero temperatures of the sub- Himalayan ranges and 45+ degrees of the Rajasthan desert, are found to be hospitable for setting up ostrich farms in the country.
Setting up an ostrich farm requires a high capital cost as you have to invest on land for grazing, shelters, fencing and incubators. Young birds (upto to 21 days) ideally require an indoor space of 0.5 square meters per bird, with concrete floors and under floor heating. An outdoor space of 3-5 square meters per bird is required. Breeders require an indoor open shelter and a minimum outdoor space of 1000 square meters per bird. Ostriches that are over one year need an indoor space of five square meters per bird. Running costs include the cost of feed, slaughter, as well as various veterinary treatments, as ostriches are vulnerable to avian diseases. Once in full production, returns can be expected from ostrich meat, skin, chicks, fertile eggs for incubation and infertile eggs for cooking and crafts.
Pigeon
This species of bird can be found worldwide, but the greatest variety can be seen in the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. Pigeons and doves are used synonymously most of the time, but there is a tendency for doves to be used for smaller species and pigeon for the larger ones. Young doves and pigeons are called squabs.
The powerful breast muscles of pigeons and doves make it an excellent form of meat. Squab meat is dark, rich and tender and ranks quite high on gourmet foods. Squab farming is extremely labor intensive and requires constant attention over the flock. Unlike chickens and turkeys, pigeons are monogamous; therefore a one male to one female ratio should be maintained for fertilization and incubating eggs. Breeding pairs need to be replaced every 4-6 years. A good breeding pair can produce around 12 or more squabs each year. The second, third and fourth years are said to be good years for production.
Squab farming is best suited to grain producing regions in dry, temperate climates, where there are no sudden fluctuations of temperature and humidity. Close proximity to grains reduces the production costs. Another advantage is that the squab business does not require large amounts of land. You can keep around 5000 pairs of squabs in two-three acres of shed and each pair needs around four square feet of nesting space. The shed should have a height of at least two meters, but preferably higher to improve ventilation as well as insulation against hot and cold weather. Six to nine square feet of ground space should be provided for each pair in the pen. An 8x12 pen can house 12-16 pairs.
Running costs include providing pigeons with sufficient nest building material such as pine needles, wheat straw, wood shavings, dried grass, etc, as they require new nesting material each time the female is ready to lay eggs. Pigeons usually lay one egg and then a second egg about 40 hours later. Eggs hatch around the 17th day of incubation. The nesting period ranges between 21-30 days.
Most restaurants look for an average squab weight of around 350-400 grams. It is advisable to sell squabs that have full cover feathers under their wings. Older ones receive a lower price as they are less tender.
Turkey
Native to North America, this large poultry bird is raised mostly for its meat. Turkey meat is considered to be leaner than beef or pork and is used to make hot dogs, sausages and ham. The modern domestic turkey is bred to provide extra amounts of white breast meat and to put on weight rapidly. As a result, they are also good converters of feed into weight.
| DARE/turkey trivia |
| Sexual Maturity: 30 weeks |
| Eggs per Year: 80-100 |
| Incubation Period: 28 days |
| Marketable Age: 14 weeks (males) 17 weeks (females) |
| Marketable Weight: 7.5 kg (males)/ 5.5 kg (females) |
| Mortality during Brooding Period: 4% |
| Fun Facts |
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Turkey farming is extremely common in various parts of the world, especially in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In India, however, turkey farming is still in its nascent stage. It forms just about 2% of the total poultry production. The demand for turkey in India is mostly seasonal, especially during Christmas, Diwali and New Year and is slowly increasing for making biryani. A tropical climate is said to be the best for turkey farming. Various species of the bird are found in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which is why they are the leading states in turkey production.
Low investment in facilities and equipments makes turkey a viable bird for farming. The risk of disease and expenditure on medicines and vaccination is also negligible, when compared with other poultry. They require a high protein diet from the day of hatching until about four weeks. After four weeks, each bird requires 50 to 100 grams of concentrate. Adult birds can consume up to 200 grams of grass and weeds in a day. As for the space, till about four weeks, the bird needs around 1.25 square feet of floor space, 2.5 centimeters of linear feeder space and 1.5 centimeters of linear water space. At 16-19 weeks, each bird needs four square feet of floor space, 6.5 centimeters of linear feeder space and 2.5 centimeters of linear water space. Breeders require five square feet of floor space, 7.5 centimeters of linear feeder space and 2.5 centimeters of linear water space.
Research shows that a male turkey can get a profit of around Rs 600 at 24 weeks of age (around 15 kg). Similarly, a female turkey can fetch a profit of around Rs 400.
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