Since ancient times, ostriches have aroused people’s interest. Apart from being hunted for their flesh and plumes, ostriches were kept in captivity, tamed and semi-domesticated by the early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Egyptians and Roman women of noble birth rode ostriches on ceremonial occasions. There are descriptions in Tutankhamen’s tomb of the king hunting the birds with a bow and arrow; a privilege that apparently was kept for the Pharaohs. In the Arabian Peninsula, ostriches were hunted for their meat, while their skin was used to make protective clothing. Unlike those of other birds’ feathers, the barbs of the ostrich feather are equally long on both sides of the central shaft. This is why the ostrich feather was adopted in ancient Egypt as a symbol of justice and truth.

The first commercial ostrich farm was established in South Africa in about 1860 solely for harvesting the feathers every six to eight months. Ostrich farms began to spread gradually to other countries, particularly Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Argentina, until the total number of ostriches raised commercially reached over 1 million by 1913. With the First and Second World Wars, however, the ostrich feather market crashed and the number of ostrich farms dropped significantly.

Excerpts from “Recent developments in ostrich farming” by M.M. Shanawany on UNFAO website




The Struthio Club is located 50 kilometers from  Islamabad Airport in Pakistan.

West of Mandra-Chakwal Road, on Sukho-Bhangali-Jhungal Road, it is located in the middle of farmlands providing a fresh and quiet atmosphere.

The farm has a pre-cast concrete boundary wall with a guard room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a water storage tank, a water pumping room and an area for growing food for the birds.

Visitors, Investors, and philanthropists are welcome to the visit farm. The following options are  available.

  1. Visit the farm for bird watching and helping the attendants in feeding the birds
  2. Donate to the workers. This will help the locals in making their lives better
  3. Invest in the farm by adding birds



Ostrich Meat Products
It is the healthiest alternative to all traditional meats. It has lower fat, lower calories and lower cholesterol than beef, chicken, turkey, lamb and even fish. In  short ostrich meat is a “red meat”, and similar in color and taste to beef, but has the nutrition value of white meat.


Ostrich Feather Precision Cleaning Products
Ostrich feathers are used to make feather dusters for cleaning fine machinery and equipment as well as for decorations, furniture stuffing and in the fashion industry. They also have a wide application in creative arts and has proved to be a very versatile and popular material.


Ostrich Feather Party Decorations




Ostrich Leather Bags and Accessories
Ostrich leather is currently used by many major fashion houses including Hermès, Prada, Gucci, andLouis Vuitton. The leather is used for a wide variety of products including jackets, bags, shoes, purses, caps, wallets and belts.


Ostrich Leather Shoes
A lot of fashion enthusiasts consider ostrich leather to be very luxurious and equal to (if not better than) snake or crocodile leather.


Ostrich Leather Garments
Ostrich skin (hide), with its characteristic and distinctive ‘goose bump’ look is a very high-quality, thick, soft and extremely durable leather product that fetches one of the highest prices in fashion shops and boutiques.


Ostrich Leather Furniture



Ostrich Egg Ornaments



Ostrich Feather Costumes


Courtesy: smallstarter.com