the pendulum
;DAY. SEPTEMBER 16. 2009 // PAGE 13
LONG-NECKED LIVESTOCK
Meet N.C.'s biggest birds at Perlins Family Ostrich Farm
ALEX TRICE | Photographer
The farm started with only three birds, but now has nearly 100
ostriches. They are raised for eggs, meat and feathers.
ALEX TRICE | Photographer
A baby ostrich at the Periins Family Ostrich Farm races to catch
up with the flock.
Alex Trice
Multimedia Editor
With red stripes painted on his neck to identify
him, Rufus stands out from the rest of the flock. The
birds demeanor is so friendly that the owner of the
farm Rufus lives on was considering selling him to a
petting zoo.
Instead, 5-year-old Rufus is now kept as a family
pet.
What started with just three birds — two females
and one male, all bought near Wilmington about 20
years ago has now become a successful ostrich
farm with nearly 100 birds.
Just 30 minutes from Elon, right outside the small
town of Reidsville in Rockingham County, is the
Perkins Family Ostrich Farm.
The birds are raised for their eggs, meat and
feathers. Either whole eggs or just the shells are sold,
and the meat is sold as steak, burgers, liver, neck
bones, ground ostrich and “smoked ostrich sticks."
J.R. Harris, a farmer who works on the Perkins
farm, said what makes raising ostriches different
from raising other livestock is they are “less trouble”
to take care of.
“You don’t need as many people to keep them
fed," Harris said. “If you’ve got cows, you’ve got to
constantly put feed in the silo."
As for ostriches, he said, “You’ve just got to dump
a bucket of pellets in the feed trough, and that’s it.”
A visit to feed, pet and even ride the ostriches at
the Perkins Family Ostrich Farm is free of charge.
Because of its close vicinity to the university, Harris
said the farm is used to getting visits from Elon
students.
“We had some Elon guys come here,” he said.
“They (were) having a party and wanted to buy some
bales of hay. And they decided they wanted to ride
the ostriches."
According to Harris, one student went about three
feet on the ostrich before falling off.
Other students who have visited the farm include
sophomore Holly Taylor.
“I was looking for things to do around Elon, and
I heard about the ostrich farm," Taylor said. “I was
interested in seeing an ostrich farm because I didn’t
know they had those around here. The baby ostriches
were just adorable, and I didn’t expect them to look so
cute, but they did ... It was an exciting experience."
OSTRICH FACTS
Ostriches are part of the ratite family, a set of
flightless birds that include the emu and Kiwi.
Livestock ostriches are typically slaughtered at 12-14
months, but the wild birds can live to be 80 years
old.
Ostriches come in three breeds: redneck, blueneck
and African black.
Adult ostriches have the most efficient immune
system on earth.
One ostrich egg will feed 13 people.
iNFOHMATlON COURTESY Of THE NORTH CABOUNA
OSTRiCH BREEDERS ASSOCiATION
Take a shot: Shooting range owner talks safety, gun rights
Margeaux Corby
News Editor
Mike Hinshaw sorts
through customer receipts
and invoices on a glass counter of
revolvers and pistols. Handgun owners
and renters repeatedly open fire only
feet away from his elbow. Hinshaw’s
own shiny Sig 45 semi-automatic is
holstered on his belt.
As the owner and operator, along
with wife Carolyn, of Handgunners, Inc.,
an indoor shooting range and firearms
training facility in Southern Alamance
County, Hinshaw said he owns one of
the most dangerous businesses.
“We are constantly having to remind
people not to shoot at us and point the
gun in a safe direction," Hinshaw said.
As the president of the company,
owner of the facility and a competitive
shooting champion, Hinshaw is
passionate about guns but even more
so about safety.
Anyone visiting the range or
attending one of their many training
classes must ring a doorbell to be let
in to the electrically-locked facility,
and several surveillance cameras are
rained on them while they wait for
wishing to step on
line and unload a magazine
? “ullets at the targets are required to
^ve previous firearm experience.
We’re not just clinking tin cans with
® out here,” Hinshaw said. “We’re the
real deal."
The extent of someone’s experience
an be ascertained by the application
^ust submit, Hinshaw said, where
fiy might be asked to draw a sight
or explain the correct way to
‘oad a revolver.
■^■^1 DA^HICKEHSM^SEf^
Mike Hinshaw, owner of Handgunners, Inc., offers training classes to ensure firearms safety.
“It’s not too hard to tell when
someone is pretty incompetent,” he
said.
While Hinshaw admits some might
see these precautions as overzealous, he
is adamant about handgun safety and
steps that should be taken to ensure
those carrying a weapon are authorized
and able to use it correctly.
“I'm a big proponent of Second
Amendment rights, but I think we’ve
come to a point in our country and
society that we are going to have to
come up with certification,” he said.
“To retain our gun rights, we are going
to have to take a step toward handgun
safety.”
North Carolina does not require a
permit for the purchase of a rifle or
shotgun. Those wishing to purchase a
handgun must apply with the sheriff
of the county in which they wish to
purchase the firearm.
Hinshaw has an endless supply
of stories about accidental shooting
deaths, many of which he uses to
supplement the beginner and advanced
training classes he teaches.
Hinshaw continually emphasizes
the absolute necessity of understanding
the power of a gun.
Handgunners, Inc. offers a basic
handgun safety and shooting class
for novice adults, 21 years and older.
Participants in the daylong class are
taught the correct shooting stance, the
proper use of sights and how to control
their trigger pull.
“We get it so a person can use
a firearm safely and could defend
WANT TO GO?
Hours:
Sunday and Monday: closed
Tuesday- Thursday:
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday:
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Location:
4325 South N.C. 49
Burlington, N.C. 27215
CALIBERS ALLOWED ON
THE RANGE
Handguns: 22 LR through 44 Mag.
Rifles: shooting straight wall pistol
cartridges including 30 caliber carbine.
Shotguns: 410 Ga - 12 Ga. No Copper
rifle slugs allowed.
No High Power Rifle or Black Powder
Firearms.
themselves at home that night with a
revolver,” he said.
For those with necessary experience,
or after taking one of the range’s classes,
Handgunners, Inc. has several firearms
to peruse and possibly purchase, as
well as targets, holster grips and gun
cleaning equipment.
“We have a showcase here full of
rental guns where a student can try one
gun versus another,” Hinshaw said.
For more information about
Handgunners, Inc. training classes,
firing range rates and merchandise,
visit: www.handgunners.com.