n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C4
n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2026 Agriculture Now
Big birds enjoy Manitoba winter at Dawson Creek Ostrich Ranc h
ican currency. Today, those same chicks are running at $8,500 US. A pair of Dawson Creek yearlings, which sold at $14,000, were sold again by an Interlake dairy farmer for $45,000 as two-year-olds. “The return on a 90-cent-a-day feed budget is worth the effort.” And there is no shortage of in- vestors lining up to get in on the ground floor of what is proving to be a very lucrative business. Or- ganizers of a seminar during the recent Canadian Ostrich Associ- ation’s convention in Edmonton had to turn away 150 people before the morning’s registrations were in. Penner remembers 1,200 people jamming into a room reported to hold 750, to watch a video on os- trich farming at a national conven- tion in Las Vegas, a while ago. He is quick to point out there is a very good reason for the popularity of this large, curious, and some- times overly friendly bird. A trip into their enclosure is an adven- ture, as the ostrich pecks at glasses, belt buckles and any other shiny object that strays within range. Penner describes the bird as an environmentally friendly, money machine. A 14-month-old ostrich yields over 70 pounds of meat and enough leather for six pairs of cow- boy boots. Ostrich meat is sold in Texas for $10 a pound and boots are a pricey $850 a pair. While Penner has a pair in his closet, he doesn’t advertise the fact too much. Penner, who used to own quarter horses, has traded that hobby in for a new one that he expects will make him a little more money. Until now, Penner has been buying chicks, selling yearlings, and pouring the profits back into chicks. A brand new $9,000 incuba- tor from Florida may soon change
by WES KEATING T hree-year-old Carly Pen- ner does not have to tune in to Sesame Street to catch a glimpse of Big Bird. She can watch her father’s favourite video, or bet- ter yet, go out in the backyard and chat with the real thing. Delbert Penner’s Dawson Creek Ostrich Ranch, near Giroux, has been growing by leaps and bounds since four three-month-old chicks arrived from Oklahoma, three years ago. The herd (flock if you prefer) is now at 14 birds and four adult females are expected to start laying fertile eggs any day now. In addition to two breeding trios, Penner’s 1993 herd includes one two-year-old male and seven year- lings. The yearlings are expected to be sold this summer, in spite of the steep asking price of $22,000 a pair. The interest in the birds is phe- nomenal, Penner says, and hardly a day goes by that he doesn’t get a call from Quebec, Alberta or British Columbia. There is just as much interest beyond the boundaries of North America. “The government of China has just spent $1.4 million on eight breeding pairs.” Good news for breeders, like Penner, is that Australia has a spe- cial interest in buying Canadian birds. Because of the harsh climate, a hardier breed are produced here. Dawson Creek ostriches have adapted well to Manitoba’s winters and until the temperature dips to 25 below, they are outside every day, Penner said. The price is going up every day and some of the friends who were scoffing at Penner, now are begin- ning to show interest themselves. Penner says the first birds they bought cost $5,500 a pair in Amer-
FLASHBACK
April 28, 1993
CARILLON ARCHIVES Melody Penner attempts to rescue her sleeve from the grip of a playful ostrich, while Carly and Delbert look on.
“With hogs, beef and grain, we are already in everything that loses money.”
Penner said his brother Murray agreed to become a partner in the venture, but a second brother, who is also involved in the family’s hog, beef and grain operation, declined the offer.
all that. It won’t be long before Dawson Creek Ostrich Ranch becomes lo- cal competition for a North Dako- ta supplier, who sells 120 chicks a year.
Ostrich farming a fast-growing industry
by WES KEATING O strich farming is a fast-grow- ing alternative agricultural livestock business and is widespread in Canada, with about 60 to 75 breeders in Manitoba alone. Judy Barnes, marketing director for the Canadian Ostrich Associ- ation, suggested in the February, 1995 issue of the COA magazine Runner that Canada could soon be “the ostrich capital of the world.” Ostriches are fascinating birds, standing seven to eight feet tall and weighing 250 to 350 pounds. They can live up to 80 years and average egg production is 30 to 50 eggs per year, with some hens laying more than 100 eggs annually. One ostrich egg equals 24 to 27 chicken eggs and will weigh up to five pounds. The ostrich industry is a wide open field. Birds are raised as breeding stock, for meat, for the hide and the feathers. The red meat is very palatable, lean, low in cho- lesterol, with a taste similar to roast beef. It sells for $6 to $20 per pound and is an expensive delicacy in restaurants. Ostrich hides measure 10 to 20 square feet per bird and are in large demand, because of the durability of the leather. It is used for shoes, cowboy boots, briefcas- es, clothing and fashion accesso- ries. Feathers, harvested twice a year from live birds and in total at slaughter, are used for elaborate showgirl costumes, dusters, deco- rations and fashion accessories. Sunshine Ridge Ostrich Breed- ers, owned and operated by Mel- anie Rennie and her husband Ken Lewis, is one of five or six ostrich breeders in the RM of Springfield. The Oakbank area farm, raising birds for breeding stock, started with six young chicks in February of 1994 and in a year their flock in- creased to five adult pairs. According to Lewis, adult os- triches are very hardy and easy to care for. “Even in winter the barns are mostly open and it only takes me half an hour daily to look after them. The chicks are more delicate and prone to sickness, if not cared for properly.” When they moved to the Oak- bank area, the owners of Sunshine
FLASHBACK
September 27, 1995
CARILLON ARCHIVES Elvis, a handsome ostrich at Sunshine Ridge Ostrich Breeders near Oakbank in the RM of Springfield, sticks his head through the fence to socialize with owner Melanie Rennie.
It is not difficult to see why Ren- nie, one of the directors of the Man- itoba Ostrich Association (MOA), chairs the promotion committee. - with files from Marion Clemens
of ostriches on two acres compared to the 80 to 100 acres needed to raise 40 cows. “The low feed conversion rate for ostriches is less than two pounds of feed to one pound of body weight and you have the ingredients for a lucrative livestock business.”
meat. A pair of ostriches produc- es 45 birds, each generating 120 pounds of meat and 14 square feet of hide, for a total of 5,400 pounds of meat and 630 square feet of hide.” The low acreage needed was also a factor in their decision. Five pairs
Ridge were not sure what kind of livestock they were going to raise. After thorough research and com- paring beef to ostrich production, they decided to raise the birds. “A cow will produce one calf a year, generating 60 square feet of hide and 500 pounds of dressed
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