Pat and Mike Roberts
Sherrills Ford, NC
Ostrich, Personal Products

Pat and Mike have been farming for 15 years and have also operated a drywall business as well. When they told their friends they were going to buy a pair of ostriches and start an ostrich farm, they told them they were “birdbrains!” The name just seemed to work!

Mike and Pat want kids to understand where their food comes from. The older they get, the more concerned they become about what they eat and where it comes from. Pat says, “It is really scary when you start to realize that big business has just taken over Mother Nature!”

Until this past year, their main source of income was the drywall business. Due to age and health issues, they have decided to focus on the farm and marketing what they raise. They also would like to expand their agri-tourism business. After all, ostrich farms are unique and have attracted tourists for centuries. Pat and Mike hope to make farming their main source of income and increase their production levels from previous years. They rely on help from friends and family when they need an extra hand.

Pat and Mike built BirdBrain together and the farmhouse on the property is over 100 years old. The land has always been a farm in some way and it just has that feeling! The neat thing about their place is that you learn something there that you cannot find just anywhere. Pat says, “These are the neatest critters. They taste great! And it’s good for you! Dinosaurs??”

They are NC certified meat handlers.

Ostrich

Pat and Mike raise 50-75 meat birds per season. There are an additional 16 breeder hens that are permanent residents in NC. Pat and Mike gather eggs from their breeder birds during laying season and then hatch them out in incubators. These chicks are then raised as meat birds.

They do not use steroids, growth hormones, or antibiotics in their ostriches. They also do not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers on the farm land. Their meat birds are rotated around the grounds by use of corral panels to give them access to grass. They also supplement them with fresh kale, chopped and mixed with their daily feed. Each ostrich gets four pounds of feed daily that is specially formulated for ostriches. The feed is free of medications and animal by-products. The ostriches eat the same way up until they are selected for processing.

Eggs

Pat and Mike raise 10 hens for eggs. All of the hens have been at BirdBrain for over two years, some as long as 12 years. Some hens have even hatched at BirdBrain. The hens always have access to grass and their extra eggs are sold for consumption. They are not force molted or given antibiotics. The hens stay in the flock as long as they are productive.

No growth hormones or stimulants are ever used.

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Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch