Ostrich farming for meat, leather, and feathers is practiced globally with specific welfare challenges relating to the birds' extensive space needs and stress sensitivity.
Ostriches present unique welfare challenges because their stress physiology makes them particularly vulnerable to handling and intensive management. A species that evolved to roam kilometers daily and respond to threats with explosive flight is profoundly mismatched to intensive enclosed housing. The risk of capture myopathy - where acute stress triggers fatal muscle breakdown - means that even veterinary procedures require specialized expertise to prevent inadvertent killing. Welfare-conscious ostrich production requires extensive space, minimal handling, and management systems designed around the bird's behavioral and physiological needs rather than production efficiency. The feather industry's practice of plucking feathers from live birds is a welfare concern that warrants consumer awareness.