An ostrich pokes its head through a small hole in the wire fencing. It
twists its long elegant neck from side to side, taking in the view with its
big, glassy eyes. Unfortunately, an ostrich's brain is the same size as its
eyeball.
"They'll get their head caught in the fencing," says ostrich farmer Joyce
Cox. "Instead of figuring out that they're stuck, they'll pull until they
rip their heads off or hang themselves."
Many of the first ostrich breeders in America lost their birds because
they overestimated the animals' intelligence. Ostrich farmers like Cox are
now very concerned with the type of fencing they use to hem in the birds.
"We have to make sure there aren't any tight corners, any holes in the
fencing or anywhere they can get caught," says Cox. Their farm has rail fencing,
and has enough space between the pens so the ostriches can't fight with each
other.
"During breeding season, they are far from placid," says Cox. "These birds
demand a whole bunch of respect."
The Coxes try to stay out of the pens at this time of the year. They set
up partitions so they can collect eggs. The collected eggs are incubated and
added to the stock once they have hatched. Newly hatched ostriches demand
a lot of attention.
"When they're first out of the egg, you have to have a heat source to keep
them just the right temperature," says Cox. They have to be fed, watered and
cared for many times a day, until they become hardier at about three months
of age.
"They're absolutely adorable. I work with the tiny ones every day and get
to know them." But by the time the birds are three months old, they turn a
cold shoulder to their owner. However, once they mature, they seem to remember
their caretakers.
"They'll follow you around in the pen," says Cox. "They can be a darn nuisance.
Any shiny objects like earrings or buttons are fair game." Because ostriches
don't have hands, they investigate everything with their beaks. "They will
peck, but they don't mean to hurt you."
Even at these playful times, Cox is careful around the birds. "You have
to remember that these are wild animals."
Sarah Perkins, an exotic animal farmer in Ohio, says her family pays the
same respect to their wild bison. However, the fact that bison are wild animals
makes their care much easier. "We just turn them out on the grass and rotate
them every month," she says. "We give them a little grain and a little hay,
but that's about it."
Perkins' herd has had no problem with disease, and the farm hasn't had
any vet bills to contend with. "They pretty much take care of themselves."
The Perkins family got into bison farming almost by accident. "There was
just one guy around here who had a bison farm," says Perkins. Perkins' father
ran the town hardware store, so he knew the farmer.
"Then one time, my father went over to do the chores while the farmer was
away," she says. "Three days with the bison and that was it."
When the farmer, who was well past retirement age, returned, he sold some
of his stock to Perkins' father. The family now runs 40 to 50 head of bison,
and still can't keep up with the demand.
"There's a really big demand for them," Perkins says. "We butcher only
the bulls, keep all the cows and calves, and even have to buy stock to keep
the herd going."
People are interested in bison meat because it's low in fat and very high
in protein. The same low-fat, rich nutrition benefits are what sell
ostrich meat.
"People are also curious about it," says Cox. She sells her meat to restaurants
and directly to customers from the farm. However, they're hoping to sell to
wholesalers, so they can concentrate on farming rather than on marketing.
However, they don't foresee ostrich meat in stores anytime soon. "If people
took this home and cooked it like a regular piece of meat, it would be awful,"
says Cox. Ostrich meat must be cooked for a short period of time. Otherwise,
it becomes tough.
"All we need is one or two people to cook it the wrong way and say, 'I
don't like that stuff,'" says Cox. "Then nobody will want to try it."
In addition to the meat, ostriches are known for their unique hide -- a
soft material with pockmarks from its quills. Ostrich skin is valuable; a
pair of ostrich cowboy boots can cost up to $900.
The alligator is another animal that is prized for its unique skin. "But
the market prices have really bottomed out because there are now so many alligator
farms," says alligator farmer owner Deborah Thibos.
Instead of trying to survive selling the animals' meat and skin, Thibos
and her husband decided to cash in on people's fascination with the reptile.
"Now we're mainly a tourist attraction," says Thibos. "People love to come
and look at the alligators."
Tourist attraction or not, alligators still demand plenty of respect, especially
when they're being moved from their pens. Bob Freer is the caretaker at the
Thibos' farm. "Alligators have very small brains and work on instinct and
reflex," he says. Dealing with them requires special care.
Freer fills the pens with a little water to get their heads under, then
jumps in with the critters. Sneaking up behind a four-foot alligator, he grabs
it with one hand under the chin and the other around its tail. "They'll try
to bite you, but it's not too hard. I can probably move about 100 of them
in an hour."
Working with larger alligators requires a bit more muscle power. "I straddle
them from behind and slide my hands up to their neck," says Freer. "And then
I cinch up their jaw with electrical tape." Alligators may have a strong bite,
but they are weak when trying to open their mouths. Once the mouth is taped,
Freer flips over the gator and carries it by the legs.
Freer is always cautious. "You just have to know how they'll react -- and
even then, you'll get bitten occasionally."