Ratite farming for oil, leather, and meat involves large flightless birds with complex social and behavioural needs that are often inadequately met in commercial production settings.
Farmed ratites face welfare challenges arising from the mismatch between their biological needs and the economics of production. Ostriches and emus in the wild range over large territories in dynamic social groups. Commercial settings that confine them at high density create aggression, stress, and injury. Ostriches are easily frightened and can sustain fatal injuries running into fences during panic responses. Live feather plucking, while declining, causes acute pain and lasting feather regrowth stress. Stunning before slaughter is complicated by the anatomy and behaviour of large, powerful birds; inadequate stunning results in birds regaining consciousness during slaughter. The ratite farming industry is small relative to poultry or swine but warrants welfare scrutiny because of the specific vulnerabilities and needs of these unusual species.