How are Ratites Raised?
Newly hatched chicks usually weigh about two pounds and are about 10 inches tall. Young ratites must be sheltered in a warm place for their first weeks of life. Adolescent and adult birds are allowed to roam freely in fenced pastures or pens. Ratites need daily exercise to avoid leg and digestive problems. The closely woven wire fences must be 6 to 8 feet high because ratites can leap over a 5-foot fence. Ratites are fed on grain supplemented by pasture. Ostrich was the first ratite to be raised in the U.S. There are now about 1,000 ostrich growers in the U.S. raising about 100,000 birds. Emu are now raised in at least 43 states by about 10,000 families (3,000 are in Texas). The emu population is about a million. Rheas are the newest U.S. farm-raised ratite, but at over 15,000 birds, are the largest population of farmed rheas. Are Ratites USDA Inspected? Yes. Effective April 22, 2002, ratites are under mandatory USDA inspection. Establishments that slaughter ratites are required to imp
