Between the towns of Solvang and Buellton there is an ostrich and emu farm! Yes, that’s right in central California there’s a farm which breeds these amazing African birds and it is open for visitors to feed and get close-up with the birds. It is an awesome place to visit with kids.
At first I was nervous reaching out to the ostriches but they are very used to tourists and probably overfed, most of the birds didn’t have much interest in the food. It was a sweltering hot day and they were standing lazily under the water splashing on them from a sprinkler. Even though they are originally from Africa they seemed lethargic exhausted by the heat.
Here’s some interesting info I’ve learned about these amazing birds:
Ostriches don’t stick their heads in the ground, it is only a myth :)
They are fast, an ostrich can run up to 45 mph!!!
The oldest ostrich alive is 81 years old.
An ostrich egg weighs about 3-4 lbs
Male ostriches don’t socialize much, they fight for harems of 2-7 females; females are slightly calmer than males but become protective around their babies, their harem is run by one dominant female.
Emus are the second largest birds in the world, one can weigh up to 130 lbs, they are gentle, curious and social.
Out in the wild if they notice humans they tend to follow and observe us
Emus are good swimmers
They usually travel in pairs, the female is the more aggressive one, the male is very nurturing, he is the one who builds the nest, sits on the eggs till they hatch (starving himself) and teaches the chicks how to survive
Both ostriches and emus are vegetarian
Emus can run at up to 31 mph
These are emus chit-chatting :
Cost is $4 for adults, $1 for children plus $1 for a pan of food if you’d like to feed the birds.( They will try to sell you more pans of food but you will not need more than 1 pan even if there are several of you in your company; the birds are not that hungry since visitors are constantly feeding them).Parking is free.
Plan about 30 minutes to 1 hour max for your visit.
