Ostrich farmer puts his neck on the line

Entrepreneur hopes tasty exotic birds hold the key to his fortune

Where some saw large and ungainly flightless bird ,Yulian Volyanski saw a business opportunity – a golden egg of sorts.

A former accountant, Volyansky operates Ukraine’s first ostrich farm.

“No other meat combines the flavor, versatility and nutritional benefits of ostrich,” said Volyanski, who got the idea of starting an ostrich farm after reading an article about the industry in a local newspaper.

Volyanski began researching the possibility of operating an ostrich farm, and eventually he found two friends willing to invest in it. Today, investors own a 50 percent stake in the business.

Volyanski purchased an initial flock of 36 birds from a Belgian supplier and launched his farm in November 2000 on a 18-hectare plot in Yasnogorodka, a village 45 kilometers east of Kyiv.

The heart of the farm is the incubator, where eggs spend about 40 days. To guard against interbreeding and ensure that the birds’ bloodlines remain pure, eggs are marked before they are hatched, and families are kept separated.

Ostriches are segregated into “families” composed of two females and a male. Ostriches, which can run as fast as 40 miles per hour, need room to roam, so pens for each ostrich family are at least 60 meters long. This gives birds plenty of room to run, which makes them healthier and makes them grow bigger.

Ostriches can weigh up to 250 pounds and stand 7 feet tall. They are adaptable animals that can acclimatize to cold weather as well as the warmer equatorial areas of central Africa. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians hunted the ostrich for food.

Ostrich farming is gaining in popularity worldwide. Volyansky said that ostrich meat consumption is on the rise, particularly following the recent concerns about mad cow and foot-and-mouth disease. Even with 2,000 farms, Italian producers only meet 2 percent of consumer demand for meat.

Central to ostrich meat’s popularity is its versatility, Volyansky said. Similar to beef in taste and texture, it can be cut into steaks, ground or made into sausage. It can serve as a substitute for most other meats and has less fat and cholesterol and fewer calories per gram than chicken.

The success of ostrich farming depends primarily on the number of sexually mature birds the farmer owns, Volyansky said. Fully grown birds cost $1,500 compared with 2-month-old chicks, which fetch about $200. Despite the higher initial investment, a mature bird can be productive immediately.

“For every dollar you invest you get between three to four dollars profit,” Volyansky said. “You can also recoup your investment by selling one-month-old ostriches, which go for $100 each.”

Another aspect to the ostrich’s versatility is that it is not just livestock and meat that can be sold.

Ostrich leather is one of the

most valuable parts of an ostrich, in part because it is popular but not available in large quantities. One bird can provide up to one-and-a-half meters of leather, which can sell for up to $400.

Eggs, too, sell well, especially on the gourmet market. The largest in the animal world, an egg weighs about one-and-a-half kilograms on average. A female ostrich lays about 60 eggs a year.

Other parts of the ostrich can also be sold: The claws are used in Europe as polishing materials for diamonds, and ostrich fat is an ingredient in cosmetics.

Ostrich meat retails for about $10 per kilogram, Volyansky said. Several Kyiv restaurants have inquired about ordering the meat when it becomes available.

The biggest obstacles to his business have come from Ukrainian customs officials, Volyansky said. Nearly a year on, he is still fighting to clear his first birds. One of the 36 birds imported from Belgium died in transit.

Customs officials insisted that he pay duty on the expired ostrich since it was on the declaration. Volyansky has refused, claiming he’s only liable for tax on living birds.

Volyansky’s flock is safe from slaughter for the time being, at least. For now, he’s intent on breeding additional birds and increasing the number of ostrich families on his farm.

In comparison with Europe, ostrich farming is not widespread in former Soviet bloc countries. Ukraine has about 20 ostrich farms, although some only have one or two birds. Neighboring Poland has 250 farms, compared to Italy’s 2,000 compounds.

“It is more popular to have a cafe or gas station than a farm, though the latter brings more money,” said Slawomir Kempa, owner of Poland’s largest ostrich farm and Kyiv’s Kempa Center office building. “Ostrich farming is one of the most open, free-range farming [businesses] available. It is less costly, therefore perfect for Ukraine, where land and labor is inexpensive.”

Because of their profitability and relative ease in farming, Kempa said he wouldn’t be surprised if more large ostrich farms spring up in Ukraine.

“Ostrich farming should be more heavily promoted in Ukraine, or even taken under governmental control, as is done in other European countries,” said Kempa, who has been asked to conduct special seminars on ostrich farming here.

Kempa said he hopes to eventually import ostrich meat from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Volyansky is doing his part to popularize ostrich farming in Ukraine. He has opened up his farm to schoolchildren and adults for tours so they can observe the ostrich. He sees this step as an important part of his investment.

“This is not a transitory investment,” Volyansky said. “It is an investment you make once in your lifetime, and if everything is organized in the right way you will profit from it.”