Questions about egg fertility

[dodo84]

I have four Emus three are 2012 chicks, and the fourth is at least twelve years old. Two of the 2012 chicks were sold as female and the third as male I now think that only one is a girl and the other two are boys. That's a bit of a problem since I was really wanting two pairs! Anyway last year Tazz (the girl) started fighting with the other young birds so I put her with my older male in a separate pen and they paired up nicely, good fertility and kept mating till Tazz stopped laying.
But this year Mr Emu (Tazz's mate) has gone broody even though she is still laying.
My question is will he still mate with her now that he is broody? Or are all eggs from this point going to be duds? What if I moved Tazz in with the other boys? Do you think she will just fight with them?
I know in the wild a female will lay in more then one nest in a season and mate with multiple males.
Anyone have some experience with this?

 

[farmchick897]

I think once he goes broody the rest of the eggs she lays are NOT fertile.

 

[dodo84]

Well, rats! Maybe I'll have a try putting her in with the boys. If I get lucky she won't fight with them I know a lot of people keep their emus as trios, I had planned on it myself before Tazz got naughty.

 

[briefvisit]

Female can lay fertile eggs up to 14 days after last mating (!!)

SE

 

[dodo84]

That is very interesting, I know doves can lay fertile eggs as long as three weeks after mating. But I had no idea about emus.
Tazz is strutting and booming at the fence so I think maybe she will fill a second nest if Mel or Sid are interested.

I only hope changing up pens won't make them fight! Would you let the female keep her territory and put additional males in with her? Or the other way around?

 

[briefvisit]

I can only apologise, Dodo: no longer able to observe and write. But if you can find time, there is a vast store of data in the past posts -- including here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641934/mating-season-in-australia/50

[Wild female calling down behind the fig yesterday and today. Breeding-pairs are coming together..]

se

 

[dodo84]

Briefvisit,
Thanks for the link! And you're right definitely lots of good info in past posts spent much of last weekend on the computer going through them

And for anyone whos interested I did open the gate between the pens last week but tho Tazz and the guys did look at the open gate no one went further then sticking there heads through. So I guess that's the end of egg season for this year Oh well twenty two eggs is not bad for only one hen and only her second year laying.

 

[rainbowhatchery]

Anyone know Rhea egg fertility

 

[Calla]

You can have 1 male to at least 4 girls and he sees to them all, no squabbling, failing he is no good, at least you can candle the eggs at 12 days, and disguard the bad eggs, no guessing for 50+ days , like Emu eggs lol
Calla