Commercial ostrich farming for eggs raises distinct welfare concerns around nesting behaviour, incubation practices, and the social needs of these highly perceptive birds.
Ostrich welfare in egg production systems is shaped significantly by whether natural behaviours can be expressed. Nest disturbance and removal of eggs for artificial incubation prevents the natural incubation and bonding behaviours that ostriches evolved to perform. Ostriches are stress-sensitive — repeated disturbance causes chronic stress with associated health consequences. Chicks raised without parental contact miss important learning experiences. However, ostrich egg farming is generally more extensive than conventional poultry production, with birds having more space and opportunity for natural movement. The greatest welfare concerns arise in more intensive systems where birds are housed in small paddocks with inadequate space for flight responses when threatened.