BOOKING
Groups of 30+ people please call ahead, so that we may best attend to your guests, assign parking, and assure that we are prepared for your arrival!
Tour buses and RVs, Trucks, or anything 20ft+, please call ahead for parking. Spots are limited.
Click the Book now button to view all booking options.
About
The Farm
Welcome to OstrichLand USA, home to over 150 giant birds! Think of us as a farm, a ranch, a zoo, or even a prehistoric park. We are a fun and unique experience located in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, CA, just a half-mile off Highway 101. OstrichLand is the 32-acre home to more than 80 ostriches and 70 emus. You can find the farm between the quaint Danish village of Solvang and the fun and outdoorsy town of Buellton. It’s a great first stop before heading into downtown Solvang for pastries or a fun bike ride from Avenue of Flags in Buellton. OstrichLand is a Central Coast landmark where feeding the birds is a must. Just stand back, hold on to the feeding bowl, and enjoy the hilarious antics of these colossal birds. With many photo opportunities and plenty of big bird feeding frenzies, OstrichLand is the place for fun, smiles, laughter, and exciting educational experiences.
History
OstrichLand USA was founded in the early 1990s by a South African gentleman named Colin Cooper. First working with the birds in their native land of Africa, Colin and his wife, Rosie, ventured to Santa Barbara County and landed just north of Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley. After starting a private farm in Santa Ynez, the Coopers eventually established a new farm that was open to the public and closer to town. This farm was named OstrichLand and to this day remains in its current location between Solvang and Buellton. The farm stand had many years of success selling ostrich breeding pairs, fresh ostrich eggs, ostrich feathers and other unique ostrich related items. After many successful years of ostrich farming, the Cooper’s decided to move on and sell their business. Trudy and Adair Brown purchased the farm in 2003, but with no experience running an ostrich farm, the Browns continued to employ the existing staff members to run the day-to-day operations. Through hard labor and innovative ideas, the Browns renovated the farm by adding new fencing, feeding areas, feeding bowls, and many other necessities.
Soon after making upgrades to the farm, Trudy became heavily involved with the business. Although Trudy had quite a few life experiences and business ventures, she did not know much about ostrich farming. Nevertheless, she saw opportunity in the business, particularly the gift shop. Trudy’s background had been in antiques, decor, and vintage anything, and she possessed skills in cutting, sewing, fabricating, and beautifying whatever she puts her hands on. Trudy, being a local of Arroyo Grande for 20+ years, soon found herself driving 50 minutes daily to OstrichLand. During the next few years, Trudy dedicated her efforts into and absorbed knowledge from the farm. She became an ostrich and emu expert. She also learned about the surrounding area and what attracts so many tourists. She quickly recognized that OstrichLand had become an integral part of the Santa Ynez Valley but more importantly an integral part of her life. She knew she would remain attached to the business for the foreseeable future. As the business and community grew, Trudy required more help and enlisted the support of her nephew Blake Fowler.
Blake resided in Bakersfield, CA, performing as a musician and working in the retail music industry. Struggling through a recession, it was the perfect time for his aunt Trudy to offer an invitation, “Hey, come work for me, and I’ve got a place for you to stay!”
Blake had attended Santa Barbara City College and was familiar with the area, and shortly after this timely phone call, Blake was on his way back to the Central Coast to live on-site as a full-time caretaker of the OstrichLand property, the perfect job for a 22-year-old musician.
In 2009, Trudy and Blake hired more regular employees to expand the business and to assume the challenges of the farm, including feeding, egg collection, incubation and hatching, bird wrangling, maintenance of the 32 acres, and further developing the busy gift shop. Through trial and error, the family learned a great deal about the birds, the business, and the vision for the future.
In the summer of 2014, Blake departed OstrichLand to pursue opportunities in the surrounding area, into the world of wine. Starting in Los Olivos, Blake poured wine as a tasting room associate and learned the basics of the industry. As fall wine harvest came, Blake shifted his way into the cellars of the Lompoc Wine Ghetto where he was a production assistant and learned about the work that goes into a bottle. Eventually, like many do, Blake ended up on the hospitality side of the industry and started working in Solvang and Santa Ynez at some tasty restaurants. Meanwhile, Trudy was building her retail ostrich empire, networking and designing with industry retailers. Trudy’s workload increased as business gained popularity. Trudy and crew continued to handle day-to-day operations of the farm as tourism in the area exploded. After a few years of working at a busy Santa Ynez restaurant, Blake started a family and knew that his time in late-night hospitality would soon come to an end. As Trudy spent most of her day in front of a computer and on the phone from her office in Arroyo Grande, she needed some experienced help, someone she could trust to run the operations on-site. In early 2018, the timing was perfect once again, and Blake and his aunt Trudy reunited in business. From that point forward, they both poured all of their time and energy into building the best possible business: OstrichLand USA.
Education
Did you Know?
Large male ostriches have black feathers and pink beaks and can weigh up to 340 pounds. Female ostriches, which have grayish-brown feathers and dark gray beaks, can lay anywhere from 30 to 60 eggs per season. Ostriches mate during the spring and summer months. The territorial male protects his nest of eggs at night, while his harem or females brood the eggs during the daytime. During the spring and summer months, the staff at OstrichLand incubates and hatches baby chicks and sells fresh edible eggs to their patrons.
Meet the Team
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Trudy Brown
Business Owner/Merchandise Manager
peaceloveostrich@gmail.com -
Blake Fowler
General Manager
ostrichland246@gmail.com -
Tiffany Batastini
Gift Shop Manager/Ad’s & Donations
thedailyostrich@gmail.com -
Molli Christensen
HR Manager/Admin
Molli.christensen@gmail.com -
Destiny Stevenson
Private Tours/Creative Design/Shift Lead
destinys1718@gmail.com
FAQ
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Ostrich Land Dog Rules
All dogs must be on a leash, in a doggie stroller, or held in hands.Owner, please pick up after your dogs. We have dog dropping bags mounted inside the farm. If we are aware of any dog owners deliberately not picking up their dog's mess, you will be asked to leave.
Please keep your dog(s) away from the bird feeding areas. For the safety of all animals, dogs and birds, please keep your dog(s) away from all bird feeding areas.
Aggressive or loud behavior is not permitted. If your dog is overly loud or overly aggressive, you may be asked to have your dog wait outside. This is for the comfort and safety of our birds and patrons. Thank you for understanding.
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Yes, typically we have eggs. Both Ostrich and Emu eggs are seasonal and are available for sale during their egg laying season.
Ostrich - Spring and Summer
Emu - Winter
Please check our online store for purchase or give us a call. We don’t list eggs online when supply is limited, so please call for availability.
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Here at OstrichLand USA, we do our very best to accommodate wheelchair accessibility and all other customers with special needs. All customers have access to view and feed the birds, as well as usage of our ADA portable restrooms. We are always happy to help and make exceptions to achieve a memorable experience for our customers with ADA needs. Please call in advance for any specific questions.
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Though we typically have adequate parking, on certain busy days (e.g. Holidays, Spring Break, 3-day weekends), parking can be limited. Please call ahead to inquire about large vehicle parking, drop off’s, or anything parking related.
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Most days throughout the year, tickets can be purchased in-person at OstrichLand USA. However, on certain busy times of the year, bookings may be required in advance. Bookings can always be reserved ahead of time through the website. Please check website or call for required booking days.
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Yes. For large groups of 30 or more people, please call or email in advance. Please contact destiny1718@gmail.com for large groups, private tours, field trips, etc.. Showing up with a larger group unannounced, may result in no entry.
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See Contact Page
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Unfortunately No. As much as we love the beautiful wines of Santa Barbara County, alcohol of any kind is not allowed at OstrichLand. Thank you for understanding.
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Love, Peace, & Ostriches, Inc. guarantees 100% customer satisfaction on every product we sell. If you are not completely satisfied with a product purchased from us, we will gladly give you a full refund or exchange with certain exceptions. All returns require proof of purchase. No returns will be accepted after 30 days from the date of purchase. Refunds will be made to the original form of payment.
RETURN EXCEPTIONS & SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
Apparel, clothing, jewelry, hats, collectibles, and all other retail items must be returned unworn and with tags attached.
All sealed food items may only be returned if the best by date is passed due.
Fresh Ostrich Eggs and Fresh Emu Eggs may only be returned if deemed inedible by Love, Peace, & Ostriches, Inc.. Refund Requirement:
Best case scenario, return egg in person for quick resolution and full refund if egg is inedible.
If unable to return the egg in person please call to speak with a manager to further assist you.
Gift cards sold at OstrichLand USA cannot be returned or redeemed for cash or credit.
All refunds must be processed in accordance with state or local laws that may include limitations or rights.
Love, Peace, & Ostriches, Inc. reserves the right to deny returns, refunds and exchanges including, but not limited to, preventing fraud, suspected fraud or abuse.
Please call for more questions.