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Ostriches, Goats, and Stingrays, Oh My!

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch: Stop by for Amazing Animal Fun

By Hosted Review by Kindle Rising, Publisher of East Tucson Macaroni Kid November 8, 2018

Every. Time. Every single time we drive past Picacho Peak on our way to Phoenix I hear a voice pipe up from the back seat, "Can we stop? Can we stop? Mamaaaa, can we stop?"

That voice belongs to my 9-year-old daughter, but she's not talking about stopping at Picacho Peak itself. My animal-loving girl is referring to the big, white, barn-like building at the base of the peak. That building, and the land beyond, make up the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, a roadside attraction that has been open to the public for nearly 20 years. It started with ostriches, but has expanded to include a whole menagerie of animals, from donkeys to deer to ducks. We recently discovered all that Rooster Cogburn Ranch has to offer, because after years of my daughter pleading, we finally stopped!

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch generously hosted our family so that we could check out the changes and new attractions since our previous visit about 4 years ago (or as I call it, "the-visit-that-launched-a-thousand-pleas-from-the-back-seat"). In addition to traditional petting zoo critters like friendly donkeys, adorable rabbits, and the hilarious "Hole in the Wall Gang" of goats, Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch has some truly unique residents, too. We saw the infamous ostriches, of course, but also colorful and entertaining rainbow lorikeets, diving ducks, and even cownose stingrays!





Visitors to the Ranch don't just get to observe these animals, the cost of admission includes food for all of the animals (stingray food is a little extra), so the whole experience is truly interactive. We had our hands tickled by deer and sheep lips, pulled food up a pully to the goat penthouse, and had lorikeets perch on our heads as they enjoyed their nectar. My most memorable animal-interaction moment was feeling the toothless suction of a stingray slurp a piece of calamari from between my fingers. Check out the video I posted to Facebook HERE. As I say in the video, "Kind of amazing!"





Right NOW is the perfect time to visit Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch. The weather is gorgeous, the animals are active, and the Ranch is open DAILY from 9 AM-5 PM starting November 16. It is definitely worth planning a little extra time (I'd recommend at least an hour) on your next trip to Phoenix, or even making the Ranch a destination of its own some weekend. This is one roadside attraction the whole family will enjoy!





Am I glad I finally gave into my daughter's request to stop at Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch? Absolutely! We had a blast. In fact, perhaps we had too much fun, because I'm still hearing pleas from the back seat on our way to Phoenix, "Maaaama, can we stop...AGAIN?"

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch
17599 E Peak Ln.
Picacho, AZ 85141

www.roostercogburn.com

My family was hosted by Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch for the purpose of this article. All opinions are my own.



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