Ostrich farming for meat, leather, and feathers involves welfare challenges arising from this large, semi-wild bird's behavioral needs.
Ostrich welfare varies dramatically by production system and target product. Semi-extensive farming for meat and leather in appropriate climates allows behavioral expression including running and foraging that is unavailable in intensive systems. Feather production from live birds, however, involves repeated plucking that causes acute pain — a practice ethically equivalent to other live-plucking controversies. Consumer choices can influence the industry: demand for post-slaughter leather from well-managed farms differs from demand for live-plucked feathers in terms of welfare implications. The challenging behavior of large, nervous prey birds makes ostrich welfare difficult to assess, requiring trained observers who can read species-specific stress signals.