Alpha Roost Farms in Danville plans to grow from more than 400 ostriches to 700 next year after building a new hatchling barn, betting demand from people with alpha-gal syndrome will keep rising.
Brent Williams, a farm partner diagnosed with the tick-linked red meat allergy seven years ago, says ostrich gives sufferers a beef-like option because the allergy affects mammal meat, not poultry or seafood.
More than $20 a pound for ground ostrich and over $40 for choice cuts have not deterred buyers; local sellers say customers drive from across Kentucky for a substitute that tastes like beef.
About 100,000 Americans were estimated to have alpha-gal in a 2023 government report, though experts say the true total could approach 500,000, widening a niche market for one of only 10 to 15 large U.S. ostrich farms.