| 5/24/04 Update: Gerald
Thurman, while on a road trip around Gila
Bend, reports that this ostrich farm is no longer
operating. We've kept the article online because
it's such a great example of what can happen when
you don't have an itinerary. |
|
"I
first saw ostrich ranching in South Africa in 1972.
I thought then that it would work well in America," says
Ken Fackrell.
In February, 1995, Ken and his wife Donna set out
to prove that southern Arizona's climate is ideal for the
big birds. Eighty-one ostriches were on hand to greet us
as Ken took us on a tour of Gila Bend Ostrich Ranch.
"A
full-grown ostrich weighs in at about 400 pounds," said
Ken as we stood in the shadow of 'Big Red,' a large rooster
Ken boards for John Graves, an importer of African
birds and animals in Phoenix, Arizona. "Big Red here weighs
even more than that. He can run seventy miles an hour
if he needs to, and he can run fifty all day long. He can
also clear this six-foot fence, so you'll notice that he's
behind several fences to make it a little harder for him."
We also noticed the musculature of his thighs, and the size
of his big toenail. "Ostriches are the only animals besides
humans that kick forward," said Ken. "They can kill
full-grown lions in the wild, so you have to know what you're
doing when you get in a pen with them." Ken clearly knows
his way around an ostrich. He showed us how he slips a sock
over the head if he needs to administer medication. "If
they can't see, they quiet right down." Even with the lights
out, we weren't in a hurry to get too close!
We
did get close to the fence around the nursery, where Ken
showed us the newest addition to his flock, a ten-day-old
chick. "She'll grow about a foot a month at first," said
Ken. "In about a year, she'll be full-grown." Inside the
adjacent building, we saw where eggs spend the 42-day incubation
period. The incubator not only maintains the correct constant
temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit, but also rotates the
eggs automatically. "I have only about fifty eggs here,"
said Ken. "I send more to Stephen Salter, who owns
Big Bird Incubators in Gilbert, Arizona. He uses state-of-the-art
equipment to track each egg's progress."
"Do
you ever eat an ostrich egg?" we asked. "We eat infertile
ones, and they're delicious," said Ken, "But you have to
have enough eaters when you break one open. One egg is enough
for about nine people." We asked Ken to tell us more about
the market for ostrich products.
"Ostrich
meat is a low-fat, no cholesterol red meat. It looks and
tastes like lean beef. Ostrich hides are in demand for fine
leather products, and the egg shells are popular with artists.
The two biggest purchasers of ostrich feathers are IBM and
General Motors. IBM uses them to clean computer components
before they're packaged, and GM uses them to dust cars before
they're painted. Nothing is more effective in picking up
dust than an ostrich feather. Oil from ostrich toes is used
in cosmetics, ostrich corneas are being used in transpants,
and lately there's been evidence that an enzyme found in
ostrich brains may be a cure for Alzheimer's disease."
Ken's
business manager, Bill Casciato, told us how people
interested in the ostrich industry can now become members
of the Gila Bend Ostrich Ranch. "Members receive the quarterly
newsletter of the Arizona Ostrich Association, free tours
of the ranch when they're in the area, and an ostrich eggshell
when one becomes available. It's a great way to learn more
about this environmentally-friendly form of ranching." Membership
is $70 a year, and details are available by calling or writing
the ranch.
As
we left Ken invited us to come back in the morning for breakfast.
"You can try ostrich egg and ostrich meat both," he said.
We're looking forward to a culinary treat, and we'll let
you know what big bird tastes like tomorrow!
Gila
Bend Ostrich Ranch
P.O. Box 832
Gila Bend, Arizona 85337
(602) 558-2131
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