Blue Mountain Feeds

Optimization of Ostrich Feed Diets

By Fiona Benson, Blue Mountain International

Presented to 6th Professional Meeting about Ostrich Production - "Reproduction, Pathology and Marketing" Barcelona, SPAIN 29th February to 3rd March 2000

Introduction
To successfully raise quality slaughter birds starts with the breeders. The condition and quality of the breeders determines the quality of the chick. No matter how good the feed program from Day 1, if starting with chicks that are not from strong, healthy breeders, it will not be possible to achieve optimum growth rates and low feed conversion.

A breeder bird producing 60 eggs per year will be putting out 90kilos of Egg per year - that represents in excess of 50% of her body weight. A good breeder bird, we know, is capable of producing in excess of 100 eggs per year. This represents around 100% of her body weight. To achieve this consistently, without reduction in egg quality through the year and maintain her condition requires significant nutritional support.

In the wild, she is not expected to produce continuously. She will lay her eggs, incubate and raise her chicks before she lays again. She is not expected to lay consistently over an extended period of time. It needs to be remembered also, that the birds that are genetically superior will be the first to crash when their potential level of production is not nutritionally supported.

Breeders
Breeders are kept in Pairs, Trios, Quads or Colonies. There are commercial advantages and disadvantages to all methods.

* Pairs - The greatest benefit of Pairs is the ability to identify without any doubt the genetics of the chicks from the pair. This will carry the highest costs in infrastructure such as fencing, troughing and space. The feed cost for the Male is attributed to only one Hen.

* Trios - The eggs that hens lay are unique to that hen and generally readily identifiable as to which hen will have laid the eggs - which enables correct identification of genetics for the trio. The infrastructure requirements will be little changed to those required for a pair. The feed cost for the Male is shared between two Hens.

* Quads - There is a greater risk that errors will be made in individual egg identification for monitoring the genetic performance of the offspring. Infrastructure will be little changed from that required for Pairs or Trios. The feed cost of the Male is shared between 3 Hens. This method is best used only after several years of experience by the producer. The egg production per hen and the fertility percentage may suffer thereby costing more in lost production than gained in other areas.

* Colonies - A colony can be defined as a group of breeders where there is more than one male covering a number of Hens. There is no possible method of being able to assess the performance of individual breeders within the colony. There is also evidence that when breeders are on rations designed for maximum performance of dominance of the lead Male that carries a risk of infertility as a result of the dominant male competing with the other males. There is no way to be able to monitor the genetic performance of the offspring of the individual breeders within the colony or to be able to identify the superior genetic breeders. The infrastructure costs are reduced significantly. The feed costs for the Males will be shared for a number of hens - similar to Trios or Quads.

There are many reasons for needing to monitor the performance of the breeder birds, and their progeny, with good record keeping. Without this ability it is impossible to identify the genetically superior birds to improve overall performance of the species. These are some of the important factors that require monitoring:

Breeder Bird Record Keeping:
* Egg Production - Identification of the more productive breeder birds. There is early evidence that the Male can influence considerably the number of eggs a Hen will lay in a season indicating that this is not only determined by the genetic potential of the Hen.
* Chronic Infections & illness
* Egg Fertility
* Egg Weights
* Egg Uniformity
* Egg Hatchability percentage
* Chick Hatch Weight

Record Keeping In the Progeny:
* Growth Rates
* Feed Conversion
* Weight Gains
* Meat Yields/Conformation
* Muscle Size
* Percentage Primary to Secondary Muscles
* Hide Quality
* Quill cover
* Quill pattern
* Quill size
* Hair follicles and pinholes - to determine if these are genetic in origin and/or simply caused through management of the chicks and/or poor handling of the hide following slaughter.

Breeder bird consumption of feed is very LOW given the production potential. Measure the cost of feed by the cost per chick and how many kilos of feed it requires to achieve ONE chick.

To illustrate this for the purposes of this discussion we will assume that optimum production is 70 eggs per year at 95% Fertility and 95% Hatchability. The ration is designed to be fed at a feeding rate of 2.1 kg/day and adding a little extra to cover extra feeding during periods of bad weather and wastage, an annual consumption of 800kgs will be used for the illustration. As actual feed costs vary dependent on region, country, currency, supply and so on, we will work with a value of 100 units of currency per tonne as the base figure for a ration that will provide optimum performance, the principals are the same regardless of actual costs.

Table 1 has a cost per chick of 1.69 and 17kgs of feed per chick. Table 2 is using exactly the same figures as Table 1 but with a trio instead of quads - the cost per chick rises by .21 to 1.90 (12%) - the difference being the cost of the male is shared between two females instead of 3. Infrastructure and labour costs will be similar. The kilos required to produce 1 chick increases to 19 kilos of feed (2400 divided by 126).

When the feed cost is reduced by 25% through the use of cheaper ingredients and/or fewer vitamins and minerals, performance is likely to be reduced by at least 25% along with this. Table 3 is an illustration of the effect. It will be noticed that the cost per chick has now increased to 3.38 (80%) for a trio and 45 kilos of feed is now required to produce one chick.

Table 4 has been included as these levels of performance are currently very typical - and it can be seen that although the base feed cost is 50% of the performance rations, the cost per chick on the ground has risen by 400%!!!!!! Typically, chicks hatched on farms achieving these levels of production are more difficult to rear, grow more slowly and achieve poor feed conversion rates. The feed required to produce those chicks has now risen to 150 kilos.

Remember that a production ration designed to be fed at 2.1kgs/day but only fed at a rate of 2.00kgs/day, will result in a reduction of at least 5% in production.

Nutrition is not the only aspect that controls production - there are environmental and other factors such as:

* Disturbance of the Breeder birds e.g. Dogs, Predators
* Poor handling by the stockmen
* Eggs laid in muddy conditions and/or getting wet
* Adequate shelter dependent on the local conditions - i.e. shade from excessive sun, wind breaks in areas of high, cold winds
* Eggs breaking when laid e.g. rolling on stones
* Human Error - e.g. Dropping an egg

Assuming that all environmental factors are correct, there are a number of factors apart from numbers of eggs laid, fertility and hatchability percentages, that are indicators of the production characteristics of a ration. If a farm is experiencing any of the following - the Breeder Rations and/or feed management needs to be improved upon:

* High Chick Mortality
* Irregular Growth Rates within a batch
* Records indicating slower growth rates as the season progresses
* Records indicating poorer feed conversion as the season progresses
* Increased Chick Mortality as the season progresses

When starting out, the production ability of the breeder birds will be determined by the nutritional history of the birds from hatch as well as the nutritional history of their parents and grandparents. This is an important factor to remember when developing business plans. The extent to which the deficiencies will impact on the production potential in the early years is impossible to quantify at this stage of our industry, as there are too few records yet available.

Table 5 serves as a reminder that we have a bird with outstanding performance ability. What is not quantified here is the reduced capital investment when fewer breeder birds are required. Less land is required, less fencing, reduced buildings and overall infrastructure. Labour requirements are also reduced. This is the way of the future.

Feeding Rate
We all look at the nutrient levels of a ration to determine its adequacy (Protein, Fat, Fibre levels for example). What is too often overlooked is that a ration is designed with a particular task in mind. Rations will be formulated to provide adequate body maintenance (adult survival), plus it will be based on certain production parameters such as egg production, chick hatchability and survival through egg yolk nutrient transfer. A production ration will also include parameters for replacing lost body reserves in breeding stock after a long year of egg production. A "Production ration" has a PLAN that fits the nature of the production. For Ostrich this is much more than just keeping the birds alive!

To achieve these the nutritionist will be ensuring that the birds achieve the correct intake of specific nutrients. This is done through the ration having the correct nutrient levels and to be fed at a specific feeding rate.

A ration is made up of different ingredients that provide a number of nutrients. One common error is to consider all Lucerne as the same. Table 6 demonstrates the differences in just two qualities of Lucerne. Soymeal is another ingredient that can come in different qualities. Note that not only does the protein level change, so do all the other nutrients. All these ingredients contribute many other nutrients to the ration as well.

Using a very simple ration that is made up of just a few ingredients for simplicity - we can demonstrate how the total daily nutrient intake is calculated and the effect when the wrong feeding rate is used - or the wrong ingredient.

To demonstrate, we will take these ration totals as the perceived 'optimum' ration.

The nutritionist, for this exercise, we will assume has designed this ration to be fed at a rate of 2.1kg/day to achieve optimum production and health of the birds it was designed to feed. Remember, there are other ingredients that will be used to achieve the optimum ration - this is for demonstration purposes only. There are also many different levels, sources and ratios that the knowledgeable nutritionist will be watching to obtain maximum performance and health. It is then up to the producer to mix and feed these rations correctly.

To calculate the nutrient intake - take the percentage in the ration and multiply by the total daily intake.

For Protein - if you multiply 21.06 (protein content of the ration) by 2.1 (daily feeding rate) it equals 0.45kgs per day of protein. The same calculation is applied to all nutrients in the ration.

To underfeed by .1kg (100 grams), which does not sound like a significant amount - is in fact 5%. Many farmers use a can as a measure. They weigh it once and use that measurement for all feeds - especially when feeding the breeder birds. This does not work as ration density can differ considerably. Density can also vary from batch to batch. Personally I have experienced a variation of up to 17% with the same rations.

Shortages can also occur when mixing rations incorrectly - using the wrong ingredient can have a significant effect.

Working with the same ingredient inclusion levels as the first ration - lets take a look at the impact of using 18% Lucerne instead of 20%. Table 9. The protein has dropped by nearly 1%. The fibre increased by more than 1%, the calcium dropped by .10% - changing the ratio of calcium to phosphorous. What will be the effect on all the other levels and ratios? This is why it is necessary to have each batch of Lucerne analysed so that the ration can be adjusted to ensure that it remains in balance. At all times there will be variations and factors that we cannot control - the essential part to remember is to make every effort to eliminate as many of the variables that one can control.

Figure 1 - Effect of Wrong Ingredient Use

Grazing and Wet Feeds
There are a number of areas where grazing, the feeding of silage, root crops, chopped vegetables or fresh chopped lucerne or grass form part of the rations. It is believed that these provide cheaper ingredient costs. When introducing ingredients with high moisture content, ensuring the correct daily intake of all nutrients requires a very high standard of feed and farm management.

When discussing nutrient levels of different feeds or ingredients you will hear two terms often used: 'Dry Matter Basis' and 'As Fed Basis'. When dealing with commercial complete feeds the feed Label will be providing the analysis on an 'As Fed Basis'. The Moisture content of these feeds being between 10% and 12% - 88% -90% 'Dry Matter'. Grass on the other hand may be only 10% 'Dry Matter'. Grass Silage will be 15% - 30% and Maize 28% - 42% 'Dry Matter'.

Grass is extremely variable and requires very high standards of management if it is to be used as part of a ration for ostrich to achieve optimum health and productivity. It is not a "free" feed as many consider it to be. Grass can be simply ground cover and not managed to provide a "green" feed lot. Used in this way the little grass that the birds may eat when fed a complete ration that contains all the right nutrients will not upset the birds required diet greatly - as the nutrient value is very low and the moisture content high. If using grass as part of the ration, that grass must be extremely well managed. The variety must be known, it needs to be fertilised correctly and reseeded on a regular basis, kept trimmed and the growth fresh. Grazing has to be managed. The daily intake of grass will vary from bird to bird as will the balancing concentrate. These we cannot control. Inconsistencies in performance will occur with resultant loss of production.

Whatever the "wet feed" one is using as a forage, working with these types of feeds requires extremely high levels of Feed Management and awareness of the implications of the extreme variations in 'Dry Matter'. Table 10 and 11 are simplistic examples to explain this assuming direct replacement of hay for silage and exactly the same analysis of 'Dry Matter'.

Example 1 is a typical complete 'Dry Feed' - with the forage portion shown separately. The Concentrate will be the rest of that ration - the Protein, Energy, Fat, Vitamins and Mineral ingredients. The important factor to note here is the percentage of 'As Fed' and 'Dry matter' are exactly the same.

Figure 2 - Feeding Rate Comparisons		In example 2, the Hay has been substituted for a 'Wet Feed' at 20% 'Dry Matter' (80% Moisture). The forage portion changes from 37.5% of the ration to 73% of the ration in order to achieve the SAME value of Nutrients in 'Dry Matter'. The difference is made up of moisture (water). The 'Daily Feeding Rate' (Table 11) has changed from 2.1kg/day on an 'As Fed' basis to 4.85kg/day, to achieve the same total 'Daily Dry Matter Intake' of the same nutrients.

Example 3, in Table 11, indicates that consumption on an 'As Fed' Basis is nearly doubled when the moisture content is increased by a further 10% to achieve the correct daily 'Dry Matter' intake per bird. If that Green feed is in fact 12% and not 10% 'Dry Matter', the amount to be consumed reduces from 7.1kgs 'As Fed' to 5.9kgs 'As Fed' as shown in Figure 2. This illustrates the importance of knowing the moisture content of the ingredients and ensuring correct 'Dry Matter Intake' per day if the desired levels of health, performance and carcass quality are to be achieved. The greater the volume of 'wet feed' the greater the difficulty in achieving the correct 'daily intake' of all feeds.

The only change when feeding 'Wet' or 'Dry' is the MOISTURE content of the forage ingredient (Figure 3). The 'Dry Matter' intake MUST remain the same. The greater the MOISTURE content the more difficult it becomes to achieve optimum balanced intake. The savings incurred when feeding wet feeds must be evaluated against the increased risks from imbalances in the total ration caused by miscalculations in 'Dry Matter' or birds inability to consume adequate 'daily intake', with the resultant Loss of Production and carcass inconsistencies.

Figure 3 - Comparative Dry Matter

SUMMARY
To optimise the feeding of Ostriches at all stages of the production chain, it is essential to recognise the production potential of the Ostrich and their outstanding ability to respond to good nutritional practices. Recognising that their total daily 'Dry Matter' intake is limited, ensuring that every ingredient included in the rations has a positive influence, is in balance to and working with all other ingredients, enables the farmer to maximise the genetic potential of their birds and results in birds producing high quality meat, hides, leather and oil cost effectively.

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