Indian Point Ostrich Ranch - Tehachapi, California

DATE:  July 11, 2015

SITE:  Indian Point Ostrich Ranch

LOCATION:  28101 Giraudo Rd., Tehachapi, Kern Co., California

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: 

The Indian Point Ostrich Ranch had been on my “to do” list when Dana and I were driving to Missouri but because of timing, it didn’t work out. It's quite a ways off the freeway so I was planning on skipping it but Dirk knew it was high on my list and because he is pretty much game to do anything, off we went. Besides, I promised Dirk an ostrich burger when we were done.

Indian Point Ostrich ranch was started in 1992 on the site of a previous cattle ranch.  Our guide, a World of Warcraft aficionado we found out later, walked us around the ranch explaining how they are raised and what they are raised for.

We were first introduced to a male/female pair and were told the females mate for life while the males…well, not so much. Mating season goes from March/April to just before September.  The males spread their wing feathers and make a “Pahrump” sound, one of the very few sounds an ostrich makes.

Once they have mated, the hens lay 50 or more eggs a year. In the wild, the male will mate with several females but all the hens lay their eggs in a communal nest. The dominate female will lay her eggs first and once all females lay, the dominate female will remove the eggs from the “weak” females.

The eggs weight about 3 pounds each and equal 18 to 24 chicken eggs. Once the chicks are hatched, they are fawn in color and the sex isn't known for about a year. Chicks grow about 1 foot a month.

Females and young males are a greyish brown and white while full grown males have beautiful plumage in black and white. We're told that ostriches live to be over 50 years old, weigh up to 300 lbs., and can run 40 MPH.

They have the largest eyes of any land vertebrate which allows them to see predators from very far away. They can run from predators but will also lay with their heads and neck flat on the ground, appearing in the shimmering heat, to be a mound of dirt.

They are also the closest living relative to the dinosaur and drawings have been found on pottery and in petroglyphs.

Our guide tells us that ostriches are curious and friendly. Curious we saw...they came straight to the fence when we walked over.

A kid asked if they could touch the ostriches and she said she would only touch the young male as the female tends to bite harder. But of course, no one in that family would try so I figured, why not? When am I going to have another chance to let an ostrich bite my hand. The guide was right, it didn't hurt, but it did startle me the first time.

But friendly though they are, we are told they have a memory span of about 15 seconds. I'm reminded of the character Tom in 50 First Dates. He has a brain injury and can only remembers things for 10 seconds so he goes around introducing himself and then introducing himself and then introducing himself.

 

Next we are shown Ralph. This ostrich is a beautiful full grown male and has been in several commercials, movies and even one Megadeth music video.

They make no secret that some of the ostriches are raised for their meat, but it was how they determine who becomes steak and burgers and who stays on as breeding stock that is interesting.

There are 3 species of ostriches…The North African ostrich, also known as “red necked” – they are the largest and most aggressive. It is this species that gives the ostrich its bad reputation. Then comes the Southern ostrich and the Masai ostrich.

The goal is to raise very large yet gentle ostriches and they've come upon a way to determine that trait. Once chicks are a year old, they are separated by sex and then the "pecking order" starts. One ostrich will be the dominate and will peck the feathers off the others, the next dominate will do the same and on down the line until the poor docile one is without feathers.

But here is where being last to be picked for the team works out. The ranch sends the most aggressive, dominate ostriches to the hamburger making place. As Dirk said..."its good NOT to be King here".

P.S. The place to go to get the Ostrich burger is a little place called The Burger Spot. Dirk had one and said it was very good. No, I wasn't brave enough.