Buildings/pens play an important role in successful ostrich management. Factors influencing building design are cleanliness, ventilation, temperature, humidity, and space requirements per bird.
Eggs are gathered daily, store a weeks worth of eggs, and set the group in the incubator once a week. This way a group of eggs hatches at the same time, rather than eggs hatching everyday. The chicks are placed outside as soon as possible. The fresh air and company of the older chicks is very important.
The incubator room is a "clean room". Sanitation and cleanliness are of utmost importance. Foot baths of disinfectant are at the door and no one but the designated workers are allowed in. This is the same type of precautions other livestock production facilities use, including hogs.
All the birds need fresh air and exercise. The outside runs are long and narrow, providing space to stretch those long legs.
Ostriches require fencing that is suitable for their needs. Ostriches have very powerful legs. If a bird decides to argue with a fence, that fence better be able to argue back. Six feet high chain link or other netting fence is best. It needs to be strong and long lasting. Ostriches are very curious animals. If there is a hole big enough to put their head or foot through, they will do it, but they may not be able to get it out, thus exciting them to panic. This of course can result in tragedy.
Ostriches are grazers, eating grass continually. Pastures should
be planted with nutritious grasses appropriate for the local climate.
Their basic food is grasses, so chopped alfalfa is the staple. Commercial
pellets (like Purina Ostrich Chow) is available from many manufacturers.
Commercially prepared feed is more expensive than feed prepared on site.
Chopped alfalfa, corn, vitamin supplement, etc mixed, is the standard
feed. Adult birds eat about 3 pounds per day. Ostriches are
very efficient eaters, utilizing nearly all that they eat.