Ostriches are farmed for eggs as well as feathers, leather, and meat. The welfare of egg-laying ostriches in farm conditions requires specific consideration.
Farmed ostrich egg production welfare combines the stress-reactivity of an essentially wild bird with the demands of commercial egg collection. Ostriches in breeding pairs show strong territorial and pair-bonding behaviours - repeated human intrusion for egg collection disrupts these social dynamics and triggers intense stress responses in animals that may be physically dangerous when frightened. The energetic cost of producing large eggs at higher rates than wild birds adds physiological stress to social and handling stress. Consumer awareness of ostrich egg welfare is essentially zero, as this niche product carries no welfare labelling.