Rusty Meadows

Wonderful little babies.

💔 Farewell Steve 💔

Today, with an incredibly heavy heart, we say goodbye to Steve.

Steve was not just an ostrich. He was a magnificent animal with a personality larger than life, and over the years he quietly crept into all of our hearts here at Rusty Meadows.

Many of you followed his journey after the loss of Ella and watched him continue to thrive. He became part of our daily lives, part of our stories, and part of what made this farm special.

Unfortunately, Steve repeatedly damaged the attachment fitted to protect and save his beak. Despite every effort to help him, the final injury was so severe that repair was no longer possible. As heartbreaking as it was, the kindest decision was to let him go peacefully.

As farmers, we often face difficult choices, but some are harder than others. This is one of those days.

Farewell, my amazing boy.

You will never be forgotten, and your footprints will remain on this farm long after you are gone.

Run free, Steve. 🦢❤️

Steve in the road recovery. Doing really well. Eating about a loaf of bread a day.

So recently Steve decided he wanted to murder the gardener… 😅
In the process, he got himself caught on our palisade fencing. That only made him angrier, and he ended up ripping his beak in two. 💔

After a very stressful “let’s actually try save you” surgery, Steve seems to be doing okay. His beak is holding together, and although I haven’t physically seen him eating yet… the food is definitely disappearing. Poor boy is still a bit sore, but he’s fighting. ❤️

A massive thank you to Dr Mulder from Vets Incorporated for taking on a surgery that had apparently never been done before.

Dr Mulder fitted a plate to bring the beak back together, along with 6 stainless steel stitches to hold everything in place.