Ostriches are farmed for feathers, leather, and meat globally under conditions that often fail to meet the behavioral and spatial needs of these large, intelligent birds.
Ostriches in commercial settings frequently have their behavioral needs unmet. The inability to run and patrol large territories causes stereotypic pacing and aggression. Live plucking, still practiced in some luxury feather markets, causes acute pain to animals with well-developed sensory systems. The social disruption of intensive farming systems conflicts with their naturally bonded social structure. As highly intelligent birds, ostriches are capable of sustained boredom and frustration.