CUSTOM HATCHING

We are constantly analyzing our current methods of breeding, incubating, hatching and caring for the birds. Unlike most ranches that incubate their eggs at a constant temperature for 40-43 days, we do our best to emulate mother nature by varying the temperature and humidity daily. While this some times results in a longer incubation period, we believe that our advanced incubation methods help to produce stronger and healthier chicks. We feel that a stronger and healthier chick is able to deal with stress much better than most other chicks.

To further track the progress of the eggs during incubation, we use numerous computers to control our incubators and hatchers as well as track the progress of the developing egg. Electronic scales are linked to computer software allowing us to accurately record the weight loss of an egg during incubation. As an egg is put into the incubator, it is given a unique bar code number which allows us to accurately track that egg through incubation. This tracking system also allows us to produce reports showing both the fertility rate and survival rate of the off spring from various pairs of breeders. This information helps us to determine if there is a possible genetic problem with a particular bird or pair of birds, thus allowing us to "cull" them out of the breeding stock for slaughter.

Approximately one third of the young chicks hatched in the '96 season have been form "custom hatch" customers. Big Bird/Awesome ostrich has been so successful this season that we have had to turn away customers. Already we have several custom hatch customers lined up for the '97 season. Our hatch rate of fertile eggs has been over 95% and the season has not ended yet. Our survival rate (to three months, the critical stage) is approximately 94%. A national average of hatch is approximately 45-50% with a survival rate (to three months) of 35%. We feel confident that our success is due to our advance methods.

Our staff works with the birds daily, and as a result of the methods we use when working with the birds, we feel that our birds are much more docile than most. With the exception of the breeding season when the birds are naturally more protective, our staff can go into the various pens to work with the birds with less likely hood of injury to our staff of the birds due to stress form the human presence.