Welcome to “The Darndest Place you’ll ever visit!” On the drive from Tucson, AZ up to Phoenix, AZ you will pass through a middle of no where town called Picacho, Arizona. Little did you realize that is middle of no where desert town is home to hundreds of giant flightless birds, Ostriches!
This is the most unique petting zoo/farm you will ever visit! Home to all sorts of animals for your common goats and chickens, to the more exotic ostriches and sting rays. Yes, your heard that right, here is your one and only opportunity to feed sting rays in the middle of the desert. Enjoy your experience at the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch!
Who Is Rooster Cogburn?
“Rooster” Cogburn was the name of the man who started this ranch back in 1993. He and his family moved to the Phoenix, AZ area and began raising ostriches. Around 1999 they decided to bring in the tourism, so they set up a tent and let people come feed ostriches.
Over the years they added more and more ostriches. As it grew they decided to add more animals, so it has almost become somewhat of a petting zoo, except way cooler. Thanks to the Cogburn family we now have ‘the darndest place you’ll ever visit!’
What animals do they have at the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm?
- Miniature Donkeys
- Parakeets
- Fallow Deer
- Boer Goats
- Nigerian Dwarf Goats
- Diving Ducks
- Rainbow Lorikeets
- Ostriches
- Stingrays
- Pekin Ducks
- St Croix Sheep
- Bunnies
- Chickens
Admission and Hours:
Hours: 9am-5pm (weather permitting) closed major holidays
Admission: Children 5 and under FREE or $6 for the feed for kids, ages 6+ to feed all animals except stingrays $12, ages 6+ to feed all animals including stingrays $15
Website: https://www.roostercogburn.com/
Know Before You Go:
- Its hot: carry water, wear sunscreen, wear a hat, or whatever you need to keep cool
- The feed is provided with the entrance fee, except the sting ray food
- PAY THE EXTRA TO FEED THE STINGRAYS! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!
- These are animals so they might bite, just a heads up
- There is also a small laser shooting set up so practice you shooting skills and watch the characters move! (Extra charge)
Here Is The Grand Tour:
After you pay for your admission you then grab a small stack of feed. The feed is separated into different parts: there is a cup of feed, a stick with seeds, a couple of coins, and a small cup of liquid. (If you pay to feed the sting rays you will get the feed when you get to the sting ray section).
They will explain what feed goes with each animal and as you walk out of the building there is a short movie clip to remind you so that you do not forget. There are also stations around the farm where you can dispose of the empty feed containers. So don’t just leave your stuff laying around, make sure you follow the signs to dispose of the containers properly.
Donkeys-
(Feed with Pellets in large cup)
The first stop on our farm experience is the donkeys. Believe me you will hear them as soon as you get out of your car in the parking lot! There are so many little miniature donkeys and they are constantly braying! They are super friendly and super hungry! Their paddock allows them to stick their heads through to get to the food! Keep your hands flat though cause they sure eat quick!
Parakeets-
(Feed with stick covered in seeds)
In a giant bird house next to the donkeys are the parakeets! These mini little birds are so colorful and so cute! There are so many of them too!! They all fly to the chicken wire area, so as you put your stick of seeds through the holes, they swarm to the stick and chow down.
This was a really fun and easy thing for my little toddlers to enjoy. It wasn’t as scary for them to put a stick through a fence, as it would be to try and hand feed these little birds.
Deer-
(Feed with Pellets in large cup)
After growing up watching Bambi your whole childhood, who doesn’t want to pet and hand feed a deer. These adorable little Fallow Deer were so sweet and so easy to feed.
When we went they didn’t seem to interested in eating that much, they just wanted to lay in the shade. Actually I don’t blame them laying in the shade always sounds fun to me in the heat in Arizona. Anyway, my favorite part about petting the deer were feeling their fuzzy soft antlers!
Goat Penthouse-
(Feed with Pellets in large cup)
Between the ostriches and deer are the goats. There are 2 sections of these large Boer Goats; the first being the goat penthouse. Yep there are a couple of goats chillin high in a tower just waitin to be fed.
How do you feed a goat in a penthouse, you might ask? Well grab your friend put a small handful of feed in the black cup at the base of the penthouse, and start cranking! That’s right there is a pulley system that you have to crank to get the feed to the goats. Last one there is a rotten egg, or just a hungry goat waiting for his food; take your pick.
Goat Kissing Booth-
(Feed with Pellets in large cup)
You know the saying don’t kiss and tell, well that doesn’t apply here! Step right up to the goat kissing booth! Get your camera ready, stick a pellet in your teeth and get a smack from the goat as it eats that snack right out of your teeth! Haha! Let the world know that you kissed yourself a goat!
The goat kissing booth is a wall with holes where the Boer Goats have their heads hanging out and ready for some food! Watch your back though cause these goats will eat anything within reach. I had a goat nibbling on my pants and we had a tug of war game between a goat and our toddler’s t shirt!
Ostriches-
(Feed with Pellets in cup)
Now on to the main event! The stars of the show! The OSTRICHES!! I love these quirky, cooky birds! Now I was expecting there to be like a small opening where you just put the feed in and the birds eat it, which there is, but trust me your feed won’t make it to the cubbies before the ostriches snap it up!
These birds are so big and tall that they can reach right up and over the fence to get the feed, so if you are brave enough hold out your hand they will eat it right up! They are hungry birds too! They will peck at your head, at your hand, at whatever you hold up close to them to get something to eat.
I was a little nervous about getting hurt, but the majority of their beaks were pretty dull. I feel like I was shocked every time though cause they were so fast and since they are so big, you feel it when they are eating out of your hand!
It almost feels like being pecked by a softball. Now like I said I didn’t get hurt, but some of the beaks have a slight sharper tip and my little daughter did get cut from one of their beaks, but it was really just a small scratch!
Feeding these giant birds was such a unique experience, and it was incredible! To be so close to them and see their beautiful long eyelashes and watch their necks flatten to get some feed was hilarious! Feeding Ostriches is the best part of the whole experience!
Chickens-
(Use you chicken coin to get some chicken feed)
Next stop is the chicken coop! My kids loved feeding the chickens, which is so funny because this is something they do all the time when they visit grandma’s house. Maybe that is why it was fun, it reminded them of grandma.
Anyway there is a little quarter machine next to the chicken coop. Using the chicken coin in your feed pile, fill up your cup with some feed and place the cup in front of the chickens, they will stick their heads through the fence and into the cup.
Sheep-
(Feed with Pellets in cup)
Hopefully you have enough pellets to feed some sheep, cause that is your next stop through the farm. These St Croix sheep will line up to greet you eager for you to feed them. Watch your fingers though cause they will munch on those as well.
Goats-
(Feed with Pellets in cup)
SO you thought you were done feeding goats did ya now? Well, you are done feeding the big Boer Goats, now its time to finish up your feed with the little Nigerian Dwarf Goats. These little goats are sticking their heads out of any hole they can find waiting for the feed.
The best part was listening to their hilarious noises! Seriously these goats have high pitched “maaahh” sounds that will make you smile!
Bunnies-
(Use your bunny coin for the feed)
Turn around from the goats and you will find a giant shed, I mean giant! As you walk close the edge you will find inside a couple dirt pens with a lot of little holes and houses in it. Hopping around and jumping at the sides of the walls, waiting for feed are rabbits. Tons and tons of rabbits! Like I am pretty sure this is Easter village! They are everywhere!
They are so cute, but we only got to feed maybe 2 the rest of the rabbits just wanted to chill and try to keep cool. Dang heat!
Ducks-
(Use the duck coin for feed)
Did you know there is a specific way you are supposed to hand feed ducks? I had no idea, but you sure learn something new every day! Stick the feed you get from the quarter machine in the palm of your hand, and then close your hand in a fist. Put your hand in the duck pond pin with your thumb side of your fist facing up.
The ducks know exactly what to do, and they will dig their beaks into your fist and nibble on the food in your hand! Congratulations, you are now a professional duck feeder!
Lorikeets-
(Open the small cup of liquid)
We are getting toward the end of our tour now. Step into a giant bird cage, hold out your container of nectar, and wait. Stand still and wait as beautiful colored Lorikeets fly to your arm, climb to your hand and drink up the sweet drink!
This was my daughter’s favorite part (my 2 year old son, not so much)! She was so in awe by the fact that there were birds sitting on her hand eating! It really is a cool experience and these birds are beautiful!
Sting Rays-
(Employee will hand you a cup of food)
I can’t stress this enough, PAY EXTRA TO FEED THE STINGRAYS!!!! I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life and it was so cool! Don’t get me wrong I have been to plenty of aquariums where I have got to pet a sting ray, but I had never actually fed one until coming to the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch.
The worker will hand you a small cup with a couple pieces of some gooey thing (I think it was squid). You will then place the, lets just call it squid, in between your fingers with most of it hanging toward your palm. Stick your hand in the water, hand flat with the squid hanging up loose in the water. The rays will then swim right up to you and suck the squid out of your fingers! It is crazy cool!!
Duck Dives-
Sadly we are at the end of the tour now. I know you will not want it to! If you are lucky then visit the tanks surrounding the sting rays to watch the ducks dive through the water to get their food. One last show before the journey ends! The ducks dive every hour.
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