Ostriches farmed for meat, leather, and feathers face welfare challenges from intensive confinement that conflicts with their natural ranging and social behaviors.
Ostrich farming is a niche industry with welfare challenges that receive limited public attention. As animals adapted for expansive open environments with strong flight responses, ostriches experience significant stress from close confinement and intensive human management. Their exceptional vision and flight response means they are highly reactive to disturbance — handling stress is substantial and requires skilled, calm management to minimize injury risk to birds and handlers. Live feather plucking — still practiced in some operations for feather trade — causes obvious acute pain in a species that, despite common misconception, has a well-developed pain response. Slaughter welfare also requires attention as large, powerful birds present handling challenges that can compromise humane stunning.