When I lived in Arizona I had driven by Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch a dozen times vowing to return one day to feed the kind, sweet and gentle ostrich (do you sense the sarcasm). Today was that day.

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch is a working ranch just between Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona. You can not miss the huge FEED OSTRICH sign from the freeway.

The price of admission is $5.00 which includes a cup of food for the animals. Basically you pay money to the ranch for the food so that you can feed their animals. Brilliant business plan.

There weren’t just Ostrich that were hungry at this Ostrich Ranch; donkeys, goat, deer, ducks and lorikeets called it home too.

I was instructed to start with the donkeys and work my way clockwise, ending with the lorikeet birds.  I did as told.

After feeding a couple of asses I headed towards the European Fallow Deer.

I was confused me for a minute. I come from a town where deer roam wild and if you are not careful they will eat your homes landscape or if they are not careful, you find them on the freeway. Seeing them penned up was out of character.

The goats were next up in the rotation and I immediately thought I had left the zoo and entered the circus as they popped there head out of a decorative cutout hole. Too peculiar. I moved on.

As I made my way to the ostriches they appeared to be kindly minding their own business.

Then I arrived…with my cup of food and mouths started to gape.

I hesitantly tossed a pellet towards them to see if they could catch. Nope.

As I stepped closer to nourish them, I saw the warning sign. Ostrich Bite. This was not enough for me to heed the notice.

Look, this little living dinosaur is behind a fence. What harm could he possibly do?

There was still no cause for fear when he peeked his eyeballs ever so slightly over the fence.

I got closer to the security barrier with a pellet in one hand and my camera in the other.

My intention was to feed the ostrich through the protective grates. I raised my camera hand in the air and, in a second, this hungry sucker popped his head over and bit my finger. Wrong hand dumbass. I was talking to myself.

I am now finished feeding the ostriches.

I stomped away bitter about being bit by an ostrich, but then this donkey smiled at me and made it all better. True story.

Lastly, I went to the bird cage to see what a Lorikeet actually is.

Lorikeets are rainbow colored birds that are a member of the parrot family. They primarily eat nectar and pollen from fruit and flowers.

Luckily, I just so happen to have some nectar handy. Included in the five buck fee.

The Lorikeets immediately flocked when I opened my nectar. I thought about putting the container on my head, but didn’t want to get crap on my hat. Wise choice.

That wrapped up my afternoon feeding the animals at Rooster Cogburn. I can check it off my bucket list, but may never feed an ostrich again.

But, I would go back…for the smiling donkey.

Have you ever been bitten by an animal? Would you go to this Ostrich Ranch?