Ostriches are farmed for leather, feathers and meat globally, but their complex behavioural needs and stress sensitivity create significant welfare challenges.
Ostriches evolved as roaming savannah animals; confinement in small pens causes chronic stress and stereotypic pacing. Live feather plucking, practised commercially in some countries, is now recognised as painful and unnecessary. Slaughter methods for ostriches vary widely, with poor stunning effectiveness common. Chick mortality on farms is high due to nutritional and husbandry deficiencies.