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How Big is the Ostrich Meat Market?
The potential ostrich meat market is enormous.In the United States alone, over 28 billion pounds of beef, pork, chicken & turkey are consumed annually.
Each ostrich produces approximately 75 pounds (30kg) of meat. To take just 1% of the meat market means we would need to do some big calculations.
1% of 28 billion pounds = 280,000,000 (280 million pounds)
280,000,000 divided by 75 pounds = 3,733,333.333333 birds (according to our calculator).
That's THREE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND birds per year for slaughter.
Current estimates (late 1996) have put the ostrich population in the USA at anywhere between 150,000 - 250,000 which includes Prime Breeders - so there is still a long way to go.
USDA Slaughter Report
Converted to Actual Pounds of Salable Meat - 1995 ------------------------------------------------- Beef 1,342,247,130 Pounds Pork 1,041,876,800 Pounds Chicken 21,579,130,000 Pounds Turkey 4,432,773,100 Pounds --------------------------------------------- 28,396,026,030 Pounds Total Meat
The above figures are taken from the United States only (figures do not include imported meat).
What share will ostrich get of the total meat consumed?
The following are some examples using an average of 75 pounds of meat per Ostrich:
| Ostrich Share of Market | Weekly Slaughter of Ostrich |
|---|---|
| 1% | 71,795 |
| 2% | 143,590 |
| 3% | 215,385 |
| 4% | 287,180 |
| 5% | 358.975 |
The 1% figure means we need 3,733,333 slaughter birds per year.
At 30 chicks averaged per Ostrich hen grown out to slaughter, we would need 124,444 breeding hens all giving optimum production.
Of the 150,000 - 250,000 estimated population, it has been calculated that 60% of these birds are male.
We therefore have 40% i.e. 60,000 - 100,000 hens available.
Of these 60,000 - 100,000 hens, approximately 50% are under breeding age.
So we have potentially 30,000 - 50,000 breeding hens of all species.
Of the remaining 30,000 - 50,000 hens it is further believed that 65% of them are either red or blue necks and produce an average of 15 slaughter birds per year.
So we have 65% i.e. 19,500 - 32,500 laying hens producing 15 slaughter birds per year = 292,500 - 487,500.
PLUS... we have 35% i.e. 10,500 - 17,500 African Black Domesticated Ostrich hens producing on average of 30 slaughter birds per year = 315,000 - 525,000.
SO IN TOTAL... we have 607,500 - 1,012,500 potential slaughter birds for the current market which equates to 45,562,500 - 75,937,500 pounds of ostrich meat available in the USA.
So the required figures of THREE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND slaughter birds per year or 280,000,000 pounds of meat means that we have a long way to go to get to the magic 1%.
Compiled by Larry Copenhefer and updated by Ostriches On Line in May 1997