The WORLD FAMOUS Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch

Hi Blog!

Over the years, the main focus of our RVing has been to visit National and State Parks. That said, we have never been ones to pass up a good roadside attraction. The World Famous Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch is just such a place.

On Tuesday, March 28, 2017, we were looking for something a little less strenuous after our hike to the top of Picacho Peak yesterday. We loaded our stiff muscles into the Jeep and drove over to see the WORLD Famous Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch. After paying a nominal fee, we received two blue cups with various critter chow. Our first stop was the miniature donkeys.  The Ostrich Ranch is located in the shadow of Picacho Peak, which you can see behind Dave in the photo below:

The smallest of them is called Spunk! He loves to ham it up for the camera.

Dave had to police the parakeets to make sure everyone got their share!

Here birdie, birdie, birdie.....

These are Fallow Deer.

They fallowed Dave whereever he went!  (Dave:  "Har, har har!"

The Boer Goats like to climb. Here you place kibble in the yellow cups and send it up to the feeding station.

Boer Goats are also very affectionate!

Ostriches are bigger than any other bird in the world. They can grow up to 9 feet tall and can weigh up to 320 lbs., and an ostrich's eyes are 2 inches in diameter — the largest of any land animal. The ostrich is the only bird that has two toes on each foot. A kick from their powerful legs can be fatal. These birds are not to be trifled with.

Dave had them eating out of the palm of his hand.

Bunnies are not as large as ostriches; Dave said he wasn't aware of that.  Bunnies are a lot like cats. If they like you, they'll come over. Most of the bunnies were happy just sitting in their sun shelters. We were able to coax a couple to come over for some tasty banana chips!

The St. Croix Sheep is a breed of domestic sheep native to the U.S. Virgin Islands and named for the island of St. Croix. They are often also called Virgin Island White because those that were imported into North America were selected for white coloration. They are also adorable.

Nigerian Dwarf Goats are gentle and easily trainable. They can be very friendly and can easily be trained to walk on a leash; some enjoy coming into the house with their owners. Adult goats should not live in the house. As ruminants, they need to spend a large part of the day eating hay, pasture, or browse - or, in the case of a home, furniture, rags and drapes. I think Baxter may have found a new friend.

Here's Kathy feeding a second-story goat:

Ducks also nibble.  Watch your fingers!

Our last stop was the lorikeet house. Lorikeets have specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar and soft fruits. They can feed from the flowers of about 5,000 species of plants and use their specialized tongues to take the nectar. The tip of their tongues have tufts of papillae, which collect nectar and pollen. We each had a small cup of nectar. As soon as we walked in, we were assaulted.

As Dave was trying to photograph the two on his hand, one landed on his arm and proceeded to mug for the camera.

Kathy couldn't help Dave, because she was covered in birds as well. Luckily, when the one on her shoulder took a dump, it shot out far enough to miss the back of her shirt!

We had a great time interacting with all the animals. It is definitely worth the stop. We later learned that the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch was actually one of the largest ostrich ranches in the US. At one time it had over 1,600 birds. Tragedy struck when two hot air balloon flew too close to the ranch, causing the birds to panic. Over 800 birds had to be put down because of their injuries. It took years before the birds would breed again. To save the ranch, the family opened up the petting zoo. Thanks to tourist like us, the ranch has been saved!