Desaru Ostrich Farm is one of the popular places to visit in Desaru, Malaysia. The name speaks for itself. It is basically a place where ostriches are reared for meat, eggs and feathers, which are sold on the farm. The journey from the Causeway and Sand & Sandals Resort to Desaru Ostrich Farm is around 1 hr 25 mins and 25 mins respectively.
This is the nondescript building in front of the farm which houses the farm shop. We bought our entrance tickets here. Admission charge is at RM15 per adult and RM10 per child.
Then we were brought along a short pathway into the farm. A staff member gave a quick introduction on the farm and African ostriches before we were left to walk around on our own.
The farm started off with 20-30 African ostriches and has now expanded to having over 200 birds. The female usually lay eggs in late afternoon to early evening, from 4.30pm to 7.30pm and an egg every 2-3 days. Most of the eggs laid in the farm are not fertilised. The fertilised ones are incubated to hatch into little ostrich chicks. The farm has a fenced area near the entrance where 3-weeks, 1 month and 2.5 months ostriches are kept for the viewing of incoming visitors.
A 3-weeks old ostrich baby.
The farm area is not big (we approximate it to be slightly bigger than 1 football field, including the ancillary facilities).
With 200-300 birds on the farm, the ostriches are living in close proximity to one another.
According to the staff, these gentle giants love pecking at stuff. Living so close to one another, they peck the feathers off each other. So most of the ostriches you will see are pretty bald, especially on their rear.
An ostrich can live up to 60 years old. The oldest ostrich on the farm is 48 years old and visually impaired due to age. Hence it is isolated from the rest so it could not be bullied. A couple of docile ostriches are allowed to roam outside the fences. We could touch their feathers and neck. Do note that they are attracted to glittering objects so try keep your jewellery or accessories out of their sight to prevent the birds from pecking at them.
DL and CL love animal feeding. We bought a few bundles of leaves for them to feed the birds. Each bundle is sold for RM2. For younger children, it is a good idea to feed the 3 months old birds or the docile ones walking around the farm. The fully grown ones can be quite rough and strong when pulling the food towards themselves. If you want to do so, hold on tight to your bundle.
Ostrich eggs are real tough. Each can withstand a weight of up to 120kg. We took turns to stand onto two eggs and true enough, they did not give way under our weight.
DL and CL had a ride on an ostrich named Lulu. It cost RM20 per ride and came with a photo and certificate that says ‘So-and-so has successfully ridden on the world’s fastest bird’. Cost aside, only children weighing 45kg and below get to ride the bird. And it was only from one side of the enclosure to the other, so nothing much to shout about. Both of them enjoyed the ride so it was still worth it. Lulu couldn’t stand still when it was DL’s turn and ended up giving him a free ride of a few rounds within the enclosure.
The farm has Polish chickens for sale at RM50 each. Any one needs one of these show birds for a pet?
The farm shop sells the usual t-shirts and magnets. On sale are also unique souvenirs such as ostrich egg shell lamps and ostrich feather duster. You can also get an empty Ostrich egg shell and paint it on your own, with prices ranging from RM10 to RM40, depending on the quality.
If you are keen to try ostrich meat, the farm’s restaurant has a few dishes on its menu. Try their ostrich omelette (RM10), ostrich satay (RM3 per stick), ostrich teppanyaki (RM25) or even ostrich bak kut teh (RM25).
We did not try since the kids were not keen but we bought a cake baked with ostrich egg. The cake was light and fluffy and we could not tell the difference between this one and one baked with chicken eggs. A fun fact: An ostrich egg equals to 24 chicken eggs!
We spent around an hour at the farm. This may not be a high tech or sophisticated farm but the kids still had a good time.
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Read more about our time Desaru in Desaru 2D1N Getaway 2018 .
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Address: EMR 15, Teluk Ramunia, Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia
Telephone: +60 7-826 5846
Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m
Admission Charge: Adults RM15, Children RM10