What is Ostrichland USA? Explore this Central Coast roadside attraction
Hold out a bowl full of bird feed at Ostrichland USA, and you’ll bring a swarm of ostriches sticking their long necks out a window and nipping at the container.
The strong-willed birds living at the Central Coast roadside attraction are consistently fed, but beg like they’ve been hungry for decades.
“They get territorial, and they fight, they bump into each other, and they kick each other,” Ostrichland USA general manager, Blake Fowler told The Tribune during a recent visit to his family’s bird farm.
What is Ostrichland USA?
Ostrichland USA is a visitor-friendly farm off Highway 246 between Buellton and Solvang.
More than 150 ostriches and emus roam on 32 acres of land in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Visitors can tour the property and feed the birds for a total of $8 a person.
However, you’ll need a strong grip if you opt to serve snacks. The flightless, fearless birds pull against the bowl, chomping at the hope of food falling into their beaks.
After 17 years of working on the farm, Fowler is very familiar with the natural force ostriches and emus can exert.
“I can tell you several stories of me getting dislocated shoulders, me running from birds,” he said.
How did Central Coast roadway attraction get started?
OstrichLand USA was founded in the early 1990s by Colin Cooper, who moved to Santa Barbara County after working with birds in Africa.
Cooper and his wife, Rosie, started the farm with the intentions of breeding ostriches, selling ostrich breeding pairs, ostrich eggs and feathers, among other items.
Fowler does not know when Cooper added emus to the farm, as they are native to Australia and ostriches come from Africa like Cooper.
Cooper sold the business to Trudy Brown and her then-husband, Adair, in 2003. Knowing nothing about ostrich farming, the Browns kept the same staff onboard to help run daily operations.
Adair Brown “was a rancher, and he wanted this property to grow hay,” Fowler said of his uncle. “The ostrich farm kind of just came with the sale of everything.”
Trudy Brown had experience in antiques and decor, but she quickly became an “expert” in all things ostrich and emu, Ostrichland USA’s website stated.
“She quickly recognized that Ostrichand had become an integral part of the Santa Ynez Valley but more importantly an integral part of her life,” the business said on its website.
Adair Brown eventually left the business.
In 2009, Fowler joined Trudy Brown, his aunt, in helping maintain the farm and birds.
Fowler and his aunt added new fencing, farm pens, and upgraded the parking lot space as the highway attraction brought in more customers over the years.
Trudy Brown added her personal touch to the gift shop by adding new retail items including artwork on drilled eggs shells and painted eggs and feathered hats.
What is it like to run an ostrich farm?
Ostriches, which are native to Africa, stand up to 9 feet tall and as weigh as much as 320 pounds, according to San Diego animal sanctuary Lions Tigers & Bears.
The fastest birds on land, ostriches can run up to 70 mph.
In comparison, emus are Australian natives that stand up to 6 feet tall and weigh up to 130 pounds.
“They’re actually very low maintenance, as long as you have the right setup for them,” Fowler said.
Since ostriches and emus are “runners,” he explained, their pens need to be big enough for them to run freely.
“That keeps them happy, at least, and then they really just require food and water,” Fowler said.
Ostrichland USA has automatic troughs that measure the water supply and refill the tanks as needed.
Fowler said that the farm staff tracks how much food the ostriches and emus receive daily from the visitors, to calculate how much food the birds might need afterward.
The baby chicks need more care than fully grown animals.
“They have about their first year when we’re really paying attention to them,” Fowler said.
What happens to the birds’ eggs?
Egg laying season for ostriches is during the spring and summer while emus lay eggs in the winter.
Ostriches tend to lay eggs for roughly eight to 10 months while emus have a shorter egg laying period, typically three to five months.
Ostriches can lay 40 to 100 eggs each year with an incubation period of around 40 days, Nature Watch said. Emu eggs hatch in about 50 days, with birds laying 40 to 50 eggs a year.
Ostrichland USA incubates, hatches and raises the babies in heated environments with extra precautions.
Fowler said that emu eggs are easier to keep alive as chicks.
“The ostriches have a much higher mortality, and they’re susceptible to things,” he said.
The babies are kept away from the adult birds, which can cause harm or injury as they become territorial and aggressive.
“As they get older, they get more temperamental and more feisty,” Fowler explained.
Fresh edible eggs are also sold in the gift shop on the farm, although they’re available on a seasonal basis.
“That’s always been a commodity here,” Fowler said.
Feathered hats, apparel and stuffed animals are among the ostrich- and emu-themed items are also sold at the gift shop.
Solvang farm featured in TV shows, movies
Ostrichland USA has grown in popularity in recent years, according to Fowler.
The farm and its birds have been featured in photo shoots, reality TV shows and films including “Sideways” and “Paddleton.”
“We’ve been in three or four different movies,” Fowler said. “That’s been fun over the years.”
With more recognition comes more business and limited space.
Fowler is looking to expand and upgrade the parking lot, and create more sufficient walking paths throughout the farm.
The powerfully large birds also require updated fencing as they “break” and “beat down” the enclosures, he said.
Fowler said he also wants “to continue what we’re doing and keep having more birds.”
How to visit Ostrichland USA
Ostrichland USA is at 610 East Highway 246 in Solvang.
Tickets can be purchased at the farm, but booking online is preferred as the farm fills up during holidays.
Tickets are $7 per person. A bowl of bird food costs $1.
