Fermer breeds exotic animals in Zakarpattia (PHOTOS)

Seventeen years ago hearing that an ostrich is a bird that can be grown and farmed would probably amaze you. Vasyl Perez, owner of an ostrich farm in the city of Khust, in Zakarpattia, told us that persuading officials to allocate the land for the breeding of exotic birds was extremely difficult. Agro Center correspondent visited the farm.

In those days, ostrich farms did not appear to be profitable agricultural objects in Ukraine. But Vasyl Perez believed that his path was right and made this dream a reality.

It all began with six ostriches the farmer brought from Holland. These birds are unpretentious, adapt easily to life in the corraзагоніl, and the eat the food mix that Mr. Perez prepares for them himself. Today, the farm has 56 adult ostriches. Over the season, an ostrich can lay up to 60 eggs, but the male is the one who incubates the eggs. Two weeks old ostriches can already be sold. One will cost about 100 €. In general, the farm is focused on the selection of ostriches and their subsequent sale:

“Nowadays I sell ostriches mostly to poultry farms in the Kiev region, who grow chicks and kill adult ostriches. It was possible to sell products abroad, but now the situation has changed”,

– says Vasily.

There is a diverse range of ostrich products on the farm – from little ostriches to raw ostrich eggs for consumption (350 UAH per unit), and intact egg shells that can be decorated, engraved and painted with different of ornaments. Such works of art are more popular in foreign countries; however, painting ostrich eggs is becoming an increasingly popular craft in Ukraine as well.
Vasyl Perez is the owner of the farm.

The ostrich farm of Vasyl Perez is enjoyable for both children and adults. Ostriches are used to people and love when guests come to feed them. Exotic creatures are not the only inhabitants of the farm, Vasyl also owns goats, wild roe deerкосулю, horses, and geese. Ostriches like their neighbors. Tourists are delighted at the opportunity to feed the animals and take photos with them. It should be noted that ostriches are not afraid of people, they show a lot of interest in humans, and taking photos with them is easy.

It is a success story of the farmer who decided to combine something he loves with something useful. Ostrich is a suitable for the breeding bird. However, an ostrich farm attracts a lot of attention. Perhaps, the resistance to such type of business seventeen years ago can be explained by the unusual nature of the enterprise and little of information on the topic. However, if you love what you do and believe in it, you’ll find the right words and destroy any doubts. The excitement of the of visitors and demand for ostrich products is proof.

Sophia Datsyuk