The Ostriches in Texas are Hatching a Comeback, Watch Out!

OstrichWikipedia

When it comes to flightless birds, it doesn't get much weirder than the leggy ostrich. In the early nineties, it was hard to go anywhere in Texas without coming across a farm that bred ostriches. This bird boom was the result of a false economy and it was ultimately doomed to fail.

As with all wheels, this one has run a full revolution and ostriches may soon once again be dotting the Texan landscape, vying with cows for space and grazing.

In the heady days of the early ’90s, a fully grown male and female ostrich could fetch upwards of $40,000, such was the demand. Almost overnight, rural Texans went crazy for emus (a close relative of the ostrich) and ostriches, creating a bizarre “big bird farming bubble”. 

The idea was simple. There was a supposed vast untapped market for ostrich meat and ostrich leather and countless Texans, from hobby ranchers to big-time investors bought and bred the big, goofy birds. The climate is ideal for the big African birds and they thrive in Texas.

The ostrich is the largest of the living dinosaurs, a flightless bird with two-toed feet, clawed fingers discreetly tucked beneath its wing feathers, and the largest eyes of any land animal. 

Looking regal from a distance and comical up close, ostriches are unexpectedly formidable. Adults can tower up to nine feet and weigh as much as 320 pounds. They can hit speeds of 45 miles per hour at a sprint and kill a lion with a single kick. Texans quickly found rearing ostriches was a little more challenging than turkey farming.

Beware the BridsFA

The Texas ostrich boom in the nineties had been driven by global sanctions imposed on apartheid South Africa, and demand for ostrich products, supplied ostensibly from South African farms, skyrocketed. Texan farmers stepped into the breach, quick to spot an opportunity to corner the global market, but the flaw in their plan was soon exposed.

In 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison, free elections were held and South Africa once again had access to its global markets as sanctions were dropped. The consequences for the Texas ostrich industry were dire. Within a year, prices and demand had plummeted.

By 1995 the industry was in total freefall. Many of its proponents had filed for bankruptcy, and the idea of the American ostrich was a punch line to a bad farming joke, one more speculative nineties bubble. People had lost fortunes and the feathery ostrich found itself abandoned and fallen from favor, a long way from home.

Most farms closed up shop or reverted to more traditional livestock with horns attached. Only a few of the original ostrich farms remained with vastly reduced numbers and it seemed Texans were done with the flightless birds.

Aside from the odd bit of entertainment, provided by ostrich racing, unlikely to put Nascar out of business, ostrich seemed destined to a leisurely retirement on the few farms in Texas that still kept them.

Fast forward twenty years and the fortunes of ostrich seem to be on the up again. Health is one of the major factors driving the industry this time around.

In 2011, an outbreak of avian flu in South Africa hobbled the country’s ostrich industry, and both demand and prices crept up to match. Many Texan ostrich ranchers who had been badly burned by the ’90s crash stayed away, but others who had retained their flocks saw an opportunity to breathe life back into the industry.

Their approach has been far more measured and cautious this time around and the focus has been on the health benefits of ostrich meat. According to the USDA, ostrich cuts are ruby red, high in protein and iron, and lower in calories, cholesterol, and fat than beef.

Prime Ostrich MeatAmerican Ostrich Farmers

In 2021, low in fat sells, particularly when it comes to red meats and health, and ostriches are better suited to Texas’s harsh conditions and drought-prone rangeland than cattle. They also breed faster, require less land to produce, and can be fed with alfalfa, a crop that fixes nitrogen in the soil.

Farmed responsibly and with the correct markets opening up, despite the higher prices for ostrich meat (around $30 a pound for a premium cut compared to $4 for beef), investors are once again eyeing the ostrich industry in Texas.

Superior Ostrich is an ostrich breeding operation located on a 355-acre spread in Valley Mills, near Waco. According to Joe Soto, the company’s treasurer, Superior has spent around $12 million in investment capital over the past few years,

The company aims to sell 700 birds next year and expand from there. Cheap ostrich meat won’t be showing up at local groceries anytime soon, but the company hopes to produce a steady 5,000 to 10,000 birds a year by 2025, selling to high-end restaurants and stores.

So, if you're driving along a quiet rural Texas road and see a large bird running past your car, don't panic. The ostriches are back, and this time, hopefully, to stay.

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