www.countrybreeds.co.uk

Rheas - An Introduction
By Pampas Poultry

WHAT IS A RHEA?

The Rhea (Rhea Americana or Greater Rhea) is a member of the ratite group of birds, like the Ostrich and the Emu. It is about a fifth of the weight of an ostrich, but it is still a big bird, weighing from 23-27 kg when adult (some older males can weigh 40 kg), and standing over five feet tall.

Rheas have only very recently begun to be farmed, almost entirely as yet in North America. Their homeland is the Pampas of Argentina, extending into Patagonia in the south. Thus, they come from temperate zones, and so they can thrive in the open in our climate. They look like small ostriches and they are very like ostriches in their behaviour and in the way you keep them. They are very hardy and disease-free.

Rheas are easier to get on with because they are smaller than you, whereas ostriches are bigger than you. They are not included within the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. They do not need to be housed in large and expensive buildings. When adult, they are not at risk from foxes.

They also eat young thistles and docks which is useful! On the other hand, it is very important to feed the birds well in the breeding season (mid-February to end July) to ensure viable chicks. During that period ostrich breeders’ compound is readily available.

Like Ostrich, Rhea meat is classified within EU regulations as Farmed Game Bird. It can be treated in many ways like tender beef to make standard dishes like Stroganoffs, stir-fries, and Steak Dianes. It is an extremely quick cook meat, and in fact cooking for much longer than two minutes or so on each side will tend to spoil it - it hardly needs cooking at all!

The Rhea provides ultra low-fat red meat, which is delicious to eat, the best of it being very like best filet of steak. Its fat content is around 1%, which is lower than for any other meat, and so it is good for people who are advised not to eat other meats, because of excess cholesterol in their blood. Rhea can be cured and smoked to make a high-value, low-volume product.

A DELICIOUS RECIPE

Here is a delicious snack recipe or serving suggestion that uses stir fry Rhea (this works well with leg steak):

Take some leg steak, slice it thinly, and then cut each slice into half-inch pieces. In a small quantity of hot (nearly smoking) olive oil on a high heat, stir fry the rhea with garlic and herbs for four to six minutes, or until it is brown but not crisp. Transfer to a slower heat and stir in whisked seasoned eggs for scrambling, along with fried onions, mushrooms and peppers. When ready, serve on bread fried in a thin layer of olive oil.

There is a fully licensed ratite processing facility near Monmouth. This covers slaughter, cutting , and packing in vacuum packs with health marks, permitting the sale of this meat throughout the UK.

The meat is seen as a high quality product which can occupy a niche at the upper end of the market. With perseverance on the part of producers, the Rhea should become established as a new kind of farmed livestock because it answers to the current concerns for wholesomeness and welfare issues, as well as being well suited for rearing in this country. To this end, the Rhea and Emu Association has been set up with marketing and awareness-raising being among the main goals.

This is only a brief introduction, but it may help you to consider it as a suitable alternative in farming. Even if you are not interested in farming this inquisitive, friendly, graceful, and rather endearing creature, it can make an attractive park animal, or simply be kept as a pet. As pets, you will find them responsive and quickly ready to eat out of your hand. They like to investigate your buttons and tug at your shoelaces! They make a fine sight stalking about in parkland, and in that setting the white variant can be especially striking.