Ostriches are not as friendly as you think

I arrived to Solvang not knowing much about the area (Santa Ynez Valley).  I just knew about the Danish fame of the small town.  Well, Solvang did not disappoint. I could have stayed there for days.  However, there was a nearby activity that caught my attention.

I grabbed a regional visitor’s guide in the hotel check-in area.  After flipping thru a few pages, I saw the ad.  There was an ostrich farm 2 to 3 miles from town!!!!

I giggled uncontrollably for a couple of seconds.  I ran towards my husband and showed him the ad.  While jumping with excitement, I said: “We have to go, we have to go”.

See, I get very girly girl (translation: ridiculous) when faced with the possibility of being in contact with animals.  My husband, on the other hand, can care less about this type of encounters.  But, you know, I insisted and insisted (that is what wives do best) until we got into the car to ride the few miles separating us from the farm.

 

But not everything is so sweet in ostrich land (in fact that is the name of the farm).  What I am trying to say is that ostriches are not a friendly or cute as I wanted to believe.

I saw the first distressing sign when parking.  A big banner with a vicious looking ostrich was pointing to the farm.  Below the photo the following words were written: “Feed this bad boy”.  As you can imagine, I ignored the “warning” since I was in an excitement state (ostriches, yes!!!).

We entered, paid the admission fee ($4 for adults, $1 for kids), grabbed the food and headed straight to the ostrich area.

Tell me they don’t look cute.

 

Then, the moment of truth arrived: it was feeding time.  I started to freak out since there is a sign advising visitors the following: “Yes, we like to bite”.  I don’t really like when ostriches talk to you in first person.

 

Then, the moment of truth arrived: it was feeding time.  I started to freak out since there is a sign advising visitors the following: “Yes, we like to bite”.  I don’t really like when ostriches talk to you in first person.

To make things worse, the feeding rules were kind of scary.  In summary, they told you how to feed the ostriches without losing a finger, an eye or another important part of your body (yes, they like to bite and they can cut one of your fingers).

The feeding utensil consisted of a small shovel with a plate glued to it. In that way, you can hold the shovel tightly by its handle and avoid having the plate taken by the ostriches.

 

I tried to clear my mind for a few minutes and headed to the pen.  Once the ostriches saw me with the food, they started to move towards me. I started to move the utensil close to them.

They started to grab the food like crazy.  In fact, they were reaching for the food so hard that I felt like they were going to break their beaks.  Some of the ostriches tried to grab the plate as forecasted by the instructions.  It was not pleasant to see them in their feeding frenzy.

 

 

 

There is an opportunity to fee emus too.  They are smaller than ostriches but not less menacing.  They have creepy orange eyes and blue heads and necks.

 

 

Ok, it is confession time.  After feeding the ostriches and emus for the first time, I ran to get more food for another feeding round.  Well, I guess this activity can get addictive.

There were other birds in the farm but I am not sure about the species.

 

 

I survived my first ostrich and emu feeding experience!!! I am kind of dramatic but you know I am not the bravest person in the world.

All things said, do I have to advise you to visit these movie stars? I’m not being sarcastic.  Almost forgot to say the ostriches were features in the Oscar winning movie Sideways.

So there you have it.  A cool idea to keep in mind in case you visit the Santa Inez Valley.

Interesting ostrich facts:

• Adult ostriches stand 8’ to 9’ tall and weight 250 to 350 pounds.
• Ostriches mature at 2 to 3 years.
• An ostrich can reach speeds of 45 m.p.h.
• The ostrich is the only bird with two toes.
• An ostrich egg weights 3 to 4 pounds.
• A good hen lays 40 to 60 eggs a season.
• Each ostrich produce 1.5 pounds of feathers per season.
• An ostrich chick grows one foot taller each month.
• Ostrich farming started in South Africa in 1857.
• The ostrich is native to Africa.
• Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand.

 

Farm Details:

OSTRICHLAND USA

610 E Highway 246

Solvang, CA 93463

(805) 686 – 9696

Have you fed an ostrich? Let me know in the comments section below.

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