Ostriches are farmed commercially for meat, leather, and feathers primarily in South Africa, but increasingly globally. Their unique biology and behavioural needs create specific welfare challenges in intensive production systems.
Ostrich welfare suffers across several dimensions of commercial production. Chick mortality is high in intensive systems where inappropriate temperature management and diet formulation cause early deaths. Adult birds confined to small enclosures cannot express their natural running and social behaviours, leading to stereotypic pacing, feather pecking in conspecifics, and elevated stress hormone levels. The handling of ostriches for routine procedures — including health checks, transport, and slaughter — is hazardous to both birds and handlers; poor handling causes injury, capture myopathy, and fatal stress responses. Ostrich slaughter requires careful protocols as birds are highly reactive and prone to panic. Feather harvesting from living birds, still practised in some operations, causes behavioural distress. Higher-welfare systems prioritise larger enclosures, social housing, and minimally stressful management routines.