OSTRICH RANCHING TAKES FLIGHT : MEAT PRODUCERS SAY THEY'VE TURNED A CORNER.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

Judy Wentling remembers the day about three years ago when her husband, Randy, came home with an interesting business proposal: Why not start breeding ostriches?

Randy had just seen the big, long-legged birds on exhibit at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and came in all wound up over them, she said. But with chickens, doves and pigeons already around the house, she thought they had too many feathered friends as it was.

Besides, they were pretty expensive - at the time a pair sold for $25,000 to $30,000 before the price fell to where it now hovers, at a fraction of that, she said. ``But I didn't realize the potential for them,'' she said.

She was soon converted, and the Wentlings are now the proud owners of four breeder ostriches - and have turned their home on Wheeler Canyon Road into the Flying Feathers Ostrich Ranch.

Though the market for the birds is somewhat slow, it has recently shown signs of picking up, she said. Despite being pricey, ostrich meat is increasing in popularity.

``There's more and more places carrying the meat, and they're going to need more birds out in the market,'' Wentling said.

The egg-laying female produced a bumper crop last year, the first year she was of breeding age, Wentling said. Of 66 eggs, about 50 hatched.

That's pretty good for the first time out, said Linda Kapala, president of the Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties Ostrich Association.

``The first year is usually on the downside because it's iffy - the hens are rookies and the owners are rookies,'' Kapala said. ``By the next year you're probably in for some surprises.''

Ostrich ranching isn't a big industry in the county, though that could change as the birds' health benefits become more widely known, Kapala said.

The association has about 15 members, who among them own anywhere from 700 to 1,000 of the long-limbed critters, she said. Ranches can be found in Santa Paula, Somis, upper Ojai and the Santa Ynez Valley, she said.

The price of the birds fell because they were purchased by people who didn't realize that breeding them was a longtime commitment. Also, ``a whole bunch of people'' bought them for speculation, she said. And according to Wentling, many of these people sold off the birds, glutting the market.

A good pair now sells for about $5,000, Kapala said. ``And you could get a poor pair or average pair or fire sale pair for $2,500 to $3,000,'' she said. ``I think it will settle closer to $5,000 when the excess birds are sold and the ranchers get serious.''

Recently, health experts have been extolling the benefits of ostrich meat, a red meat that has far less fat and cholesterol than beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey.

``You've got an animal that looks like a bird and tastes like a cow,'' Kapala said.

Also, the birds' hide is the second most durable in the world, next to elephant, she said. ``The leather just lasts and lasts and lasts, and it has a beautiful quill pattern,'' Kapala said.

And because the birds' feathers don't produce static and do not contain oils, they can be used in a variety of ways.

For example, auto manufacturers use them to dust their vehicles before applying the first coat of paint, she said. They're also used by the electronics and computer industries to dust off components, she said.

The problem is the price of ostrich products. For example, an 8-ounce ostrich fillet can cost about $7, and Kapala once saw an ostrich leather flight bag in a Rodeo Drive store selling for about $8,000.

Like anything operating under the law of supply and demand, the price won't go down until more of the birds are available, Kapala said. But this may be starting to happen as people in the industry work to make the birds more available and the product easier to produce.

``People are working toward developing that consistent market, and I think they're making some headway,'' Kapala said.

According to Wentling, who is now the Ostrich association's secretary, a fertile ostrich egg can sell for $50 to $75. ``I look for the price to be going up this year,'' she said.

Likewise for the chicks, which at ages 1 to 3 months can sell for about $125, she said.

Though the Wentlings own two adult pairs - two males, two females - one couple didn't get along and the male was shuttled off to a friend's ranch, where it boards.

``They divorced,'' Wentling said. ``We're kind of glad it didn't work out, because my one pair laid 66 eggs.''

She was nervous about that first batch because she wasn't sure she and her husband were caring for them properly. Still the whole process was fascinating and the Wentlings couldn't stay out of the hatchery, which they set up in a spare room in their house.

``Through the whole season we would be in there all the time watching when they would come out,'' she said.

The hatchlings are particularly endearing, she said. ``Once they're out, their little necks are bobbling around and they're trying to stand up straight.''

As they get older, however, they get vicious - they're territorial during breeding season and can kill a person with a single kick, she said - and aren't very lovable. So she feels no guilt about occasionally munching on an ostrich fillet.

``You can't even make a pet out of them like you can a cow,'' she said. ``You can't make an attachment to them - they won't allow you to.''

Still, they can be oddly beautiful when they do a sort of ritual dance in which they move their wings in a way that makes the feathers appear to fly - hence the name of the Wentling's ranch.

``They bring their wings up over their necks, just like a ballerina,'' she said.

Anticipating a growing market, the Wentlings may move to a larger property so they can increase their stock of breeders. Right now, ostriches aren't widely known for their meat. But the demand appears to be increasing and ostrich meat could become a common sight in groceries' frozen food sections.

``That's what we're looking for: When everyone has it on their shelves,'' she said.

The Flying Feathers Ostrich Ranch is open to the public. To take a peek at the Wentlings' three birds and learn the tricks of the trade, call [phone].

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--Ran in Simi and Conejo--color) Judy and Randy Wentling feed a female ostrich at their home in Santa Paula, which they turned into the Flying Feathers Ostrich Ranch.

(2--Ran in Simi and Conejo--color) A male surveys the Flying Feathers Ostrich Ranch, one of just a few in operation.

(3--Ran in Simi and Conejo) Randy Wentling uses infertile eggs to demonstrate how eggs are incubated. A fertile egg can sell for $75.

Phil McCarten/Daily News