Ratites are the giants of poultry-adjacent livestock - and, surprisingly, among the legally simpler exotics, because most states class ostrich, emu, and rhea as livestock. The cassowary is the dangerous exception. Here is the full guide.
Ratites - the large flightless birds, including the ostrich, emu, rhea, and cassowary - are legal to keep across most of the United States, and for an unexpected reason: in many states they are classified not as exotic wildlife but as livestock. That single classification decision makes the ostrich, emu, and rhea legally simpler to own than a great many far smaller exotic birds.
The reason is history. Ostrich and emu farming developed as genuine agricultural industries in the United States - raised for meat, leather, oil, and feathers - and as commercial agriculture took hold, states folded these birds into their livestock statutes rather than their exotic-animal statutes. A bird regulated as livestock is treated much like cattle or sheep: kept under agricultural and zoning rules rather than wildlife permits.
This does not make ratites casual animals. They are enormous, powerful, and - in the case of the cassowary - genuinely dangerous, and the practical demands of fencing, space, and safe handling are serious. But the legal picture for the three farmed ratites is comparatively clean. The cassowary is the sharp exception, requiring a dangerous-animal permit, and the kiwi is simply not available. This guide covers each.
To understand ratite law you have to understand the difference between two boxes a state can put a bird in.
An animal classed as exotic wildlife is regulated by the wildlife agency, often through possession permits, facility standards, and species-by-species restrictions. An animal classed as livestock is regulated by the agriculture department under farming rules - inspection, disease control, brand and movement paperwork - and is generally accepted on agriculturally zoned land as a matter of course.
Most states place the ostrich, emu, and rhea in the livestock box. The practical effects are real: no exotic-wildlife permit in those states, simpler interstate movement under agricultural rules, and a presumption that the birds belong on a farm. It is the same reason raising these birds for meat or eggs is a recognized, lawful agricultural enterprise.
The classification is not perfectly uniform - a minority of states or localities treat ratites differently, and zoning still governs whether you can keep large livestock on your particular parcel - so confirm with your state agriculture department. But the headline holds: for the three farmed ratites, 'livestock' is the magic word, and it makes them one of the more accessible groups of large exotic birds in America.
The Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest living bird - up to nine feet tall and over 300 pounds - and the foundation of the ratite-farming industry. Several subspecies exist (the North African, Masai, and South African among them), and the Somali Ostrich is now often treated as a separate species.
Ostriches are farmed for lean red meat, for leather, for feathers, and for oil, and in most states they are regulated as livestock. They are also powerful and can be dangerous: an adult ostrich can deliver a forward kick with enough force to seriously injure or kill, and breeding males are aggressive in season. Ostrich keeping is a genuine commercial-agriculture undertaking - it requires substantial acreage, strong fencing, and experienced, cautious handling - but the legal classification as livestock keeps the permitting straightforward in most of the country.
The Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), native to Australia, is the second-largest living bird and the most commonly kept ratite on American small farms. Reaching about six feet tall, it is smaller and generally more manageable than the ostrich, and it adapts well to a wide range of US climates.
Emus are farmed primarily for emu oil - a product with an established market - as well as for meat and leather, and like the ostrich they are classed as livestock in most states. They are calmer than ostriches and cassowaries, though still large, fast, and capable of injuring a handler, and breeding birds need respect. For a keeper who wants a ratite, the emu is usually the most practical starting point: legally simple as livestock, hardy, and the most forgiving of the large flightless birds.
The rheas of South America are the New World ratites. The Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) is the larger and more commonly kept species, standing around five feet tall, and is bred in several captive color phases including white. The Lesser Rhea, or Darwin's Rhea (Rhea pennata), is smaller and is listed under CITES Appendix II, which adds documentation to its trade.
The Greater Rhea is the smallest of the commonly kept ratites and, to many keepers, the most approachable - still a large bird that demands good fencing and space, but less overwhelming than an ostrich. It is generally classed as livestock alongside the ostrich and emu. Rheas are kept for meat, for feathers, and increasingly simply as striking, hardy pasture birds on hobby farms.
The cassowary breaks the friendly ratite pattern completely. The three cassowary species - the Southern, Dwarf, and Northern Cassowary - are forest ratites of New Guinea and northern Australia, and the cassowary is widely regarded as the most dangerous bird in the world.
The danger is not exaggerated. A cassowary carries a long, dagger-like inner claw on each foot and can deliver a powerful kick; cassowary attacks have caused serious human injuries and deaths. Because of that, the cassowary is not treated like the farmed ratites. Most states require a dangerous-animal or restricted-species permit to keep one, with facility, fencing, insurance, and handling standards far beyond what an ostrich or emu requires, and some states prohibit private possession outright.
A cassowary is legal to keep only where the state allows it and only for keepers who can meet a dangerous-exotic standard of containment and care. It is a bird for experienced, permitted, and properly insured keepers - the opposite of the legally simple emu. If you are drawn to ratites, the cassowary is the one that requires you to start the conversation with your state wildlife agency, not your agriculture department.
The fifth ratite group, the kiwi of New Zealand, is included here only for completeness, because the answer is short: kiwis cannot be kept by private individuals in the United States.
Kiwis are small, nocturnal, conservation-dependent national icons of New Zealand, and New Zealand strictly prohibits their export. The handful of kiwis outside New Zealand are held in a small number of accredited zoological institutions under formal agreements. There is no legal path to private kiwi ownership - it is simply off the table, and any offer of one should be treated as illegitimate.
Whatever the legal classification, ratites make real physical demands, and meeting them is part of keeping these birds responsibly and lawfully.
Space. Ratites are large, fast, running birds and need substantial acreage - these are pasture animals, not backyard poultry. An ostrich operation in particular needs room measured in acres.
Fencing. Strong, tall, well-maintained fencing is essential - both to contain powerful birds that can run and to keep predators and stress-causing intruders out. Ratites can injure themselves panicking against poor fencing, so fence design matters for the birds' safety as much as for containment.
Handling safety. Ostriches and cassowaries can kill or seriously injure a person; even the calmer emu and rhea are large enough to hurt a handler. Breeding-season males of every species turn aggressive. Safe handling means experience, caution, escape routes in enclosures, and never underestimating the bird. The cassowary demands a full dangerous-animal protocol.
Climate and care. Ratites are hardy but need shade, shelter, clean water, and appropriate ratite feed; chicks are delicate and leg problems are a known risk if nutrition and footing are wrong. None of this is exotic veterinary science, but it is a genuine livestock-scale commitment - which, fittingly, is exactly how the law treats most of these birds.
Because the farmed ratites are livestock, sourcing them looks more like buying farm animals than acquiring exotic pets - and the choices you make at purchase shape the whole undertaking.
Ratites are commonly sold as chicks, as juveniles, or as proven breeding pairs and trios. Chicks are the cheapest entry point but the most demanding: ratite chicks are delicate, prone to leg and nutritional problems if footing and diet are wrong, and need experienced brooding. Juveniles are a more forgiving start for a first-time keeper. Proven breeding stock is the most expensive but the fastest route to a producing flock. Buy from an established ratite farm that can show healthy parent birds and a clean health history, and for the rhea remember that the Lesser (Darwin's) Rhea carries CITES Appendix II paperwork.
Decide the purpose before you buy, because it sets the numbers. A keeper who wants emus or rheas simply as striking pasture birds may need only a small group; a meat, oil, or leather operation needs breeding ratios and far more land. Either way, have the infrastructure finished first: tall, strong perimeter fencing, shade and shelter, clean water, and appropriate ratite feed all need to be in place before large, fast birds arrive.
Finally, confirm the paperwork side as you would for any livestock - interstate movement of ratites generally follows agricultural rules, which can include health certificates and movement documentation. Source healthy birds, build the fencing, and start with emus or rheas rather than ostriches if you are new, and a ratite flock is a genuinely achievable and impressive addition to a farm.
Ratites deliver a pleasant surprise: the giants are, legally, among the simpler exotics. The ostrich, emu, and rhea are classified as livestock in most states, which means agricultural and zoning rules rather than exotic-wildlife permits, and a recognized place on a farm. The emu is usually the most practical entry point - legally clean and the most manageable of the large flightless birds - with the Greater Rhea close behind and the ostrich a serious commercial-scale undertaking.
The cassowary is the sharp exception: a genuinely dangerous bird requiring a dangerous-animal or restricted-species permit where it is allowed at all, and prohibited outright in some states. The kiwi is not available to private keepers under any circumstances.
For the three farmed ratites the homework is short: confirm with your state agriculture department that they are classed as livestock where you live, confirm your parcel's zoning allows large livestock, and then turn your attention to the part that really matters - the acreage, the fencing, and the safe handling these powerful birds require. Get the land and the fencing right, and a small flock of emus or rheas is one of the more accessible ways to keep a truly impressive bird in America.
| Ostrich | Classed as livestock in most states. Agricultural/zoning rules; substantial acreage needed. |
|---|---|
| Emu | Classed as livestock in most states. The most practical ratite to keep. |
| Greater Rhea | Generally classed as livestock; CITES II applies to the Lesser/Darwin's Rhea. |
| Cassowary | Dangerous-animal/restricted permit required; banned outright in some states. |
| Kiwi | Not available to private keepers; New Zealand prohibits export. |
Yes, in most states. Ostriches, emus, and rheas are classified as livestock rather than exotic wildlife in most of the country, so they are kept under agricultural and zoning rules rather than wildlife permits. Confirm with your state agriculture department.
Usually not. Because the emu is generally classed as livestock, most states do not require an exotic-wildlife permit - the same way cattle or sheep do not. Local zoning still governs whether you can keep large livestock on your parcel.
Ostrich and emu farming developed as genuine agricultural industries in the US - raised for meat, leather, and oil - so states folded them into livestock statutes rather than exotic-animal statutes. That classification is what keeps their permitting simple.
Only where the state allows it, and only with a dangerous-animal or restricted-species permit. The cassowary is considered the most dangerous bird in the world; some states prohibit private possession entirely. It is a bird for experienced, permitted, insured keepers.
No. Kiwis cannot be kept by private individuals. New Zealand prohibits their export, and the few kiwis outside the country are held only by accredited zoological institutions under formal agreements.
The emu. It is legally simple as livestock, hardy, adaptable to many US climates, and the most manageable of the large flightless birds. The Greater Rhea is also relatively approachable. The ostrich is a larger, commercial-scale commitment.
Substantial acreage. Ratites are large, fast running birds and are pasture animals, not backyard poultry. An ostrich operation needs room measured in acres; even emus and rheas need real paddock space and strong fencing.
They can be. Ostriches can deliver a kick powerful enough to kill, and the cassowary is genuinely lethal. Emus and rheas are calmer but still large enough to injure a handler, and breeding-season males of all species turn aggressive.
Yes. Ostrich and emu farming for meat, leather, oil, and feathers is a recognized, lawful agricultural enterprise - one of the reasons these birds are classed as livestock. Processing for sale follows the same USDA and state rules as other livestock.
Yes. Strong, tall, well-maintained fencing is essential, both to contain powerful running birds and to keep predators and stressors out. Poor fencing also causes injuries when ratites panic against it, so fence design protects the birds too.
The Greater Rhea is generally classed as livestock and is one of the more approachable ratites. The Lesser Rhea (Darwin's Rhea) is CITES Appendix II, which adds documentation to its trade. Confirm your state's treatment of both.
Start with your state agriculture department, since ostrich, emu, and rhea are usually livestock. Confirm your parcel's zoning permits large livestock. For a cassowary, contact the state wildlife agency about a dangerous-animal permit.
This guide is general educational information, not legal advice. Wildlife, agriculture, and zoning law varies by state, county, and municipality and changes frequently. Verify current requirements with your state wildlife agency, USDA APHIS, the USFWS, and your local government before acquiring, breeding, selling, releasing, or transporting any bird.