Mate choice, maternal investment and implications for ostrich welfare in a farming environment

•Reproduction in ostriches seems to be linked to changes in the photoperiod except in the southern hemisphere where they can breed all year around.•Maternal effects controlled by females could account for up to 50% of phenotypic variation in egg and chick weights.•Both males and females have several partners, allowing multiple opportunities for mate choice.•Females may improve the fitness of their offspring by basing their mate choice on male's ornamentation.•Taking advantage of the natural breeding behaviour and brooding instinct of adults birds could also help in improving their general welfare. At present, the ostrich industry is inefficient, on account of being characterised by inadequate egg production, high embryo mortality, poor chick survival and suboptimal growth rates. However, as ostrich farming commenced only in the mid 19th century in South Africa, farmed ostriches have had a short period to adapt to the commercial production environment. Hence the poor production results observed could either reflect their failure to adapt to the farming environment, or alternatively, a failure of the ostrich industry to implement proper practices to meet the needs of this species. Limited research has been undertaken to identify and integrate behavioural requirements of ostriches in such environments, in order to reduce potential stress through improving both reproductive performance of the birds and their general welfare. In this paper, we review recent progress in our understanding of ostrich reproductive behaviour both in the wild and in farming environments, with a specific emphasis on female strategies to improve offspring fitness within the context of the ostrich polygynous mating system. In addition, we discuss production and welfare implications of the unusual ostrich communal nesting system, in a farming environment.