Female keeps attacking male emu

[I_speak_the_truth]

I got two pairs of emu last spring. Two sets of brother/sister. I want to avoid inbreeding so I have kept all four identified to make sure I separate them correctly into pairs. However, when they reached about a year old this spring they have started fighting. One of the males must be at the bottom of the pecking order, and I had to separate them into two pens. The only female that won’t attack this particular male is his sister.
Will the mean female eventually accept him once breeding season hits? Have you ever had issues with a pair not “hitting it off”?

 

[Pyxis]

Will the mean female eventually accept him once breeding season hits? Have you ever had issues with a pair not “hitting it off”?

It can happen - they have their preferences just like we do. Some individuals just do not get along. You can try putting them together in breeding season, but be prepared to separate them because she may just not like him and not accept him as a mate, and serious injuries could result from them being left together if she's going after him.

 

[I_speak_the_truth]

It can happen - they have their preferences just like we do. Some individuals just do not get along. You can try putting them together in breeding season, but be prepared to separate them because she may just not like him and not accept him as a mate, and serious injuries could result from them being left together if she's going after him.

Ok, thank you for the advice! Would I have any issues breeding siblings together for one generation? I know with other birds(pheasant, chicken, pigeon, etc) there are no issues with this, but I have no experience with emus. Thanks!

 

[Pyxis]

Ok, thank you for the advice! Would I have any issues breeding siblings together for one generation? I know with other birds(pheasant, chicken, pigeon, etc) there are no issues with this, but I have no experience with emus. Thanks!

So actually, sibling mating is basically the one thing you want to avoid across the board, even with other birds like chickens. Father to daughter and mother to son are okay, but sibling to sibling is the one you really don't want to do.

I wouldn't do it with emus, especially. Unfortunately there's already a lot of inbreeding that happens when people buy a few eggs from a breeder, hatch them, and decide to breed them together even though they're likely full siblings. Then someone buys a few eggs from that person, does the same thing, etc. So your siblings might be inbred already.

 

[I_speak_the_truth]

So actually, sibling mating is basically the one thing you want to avoid across the board, even with other birds like chickens. Father to daughter and mother to son are okay, but sibling to sibling is the one you really don't want to do.

I wouldn't do it with emus, especially. Unfortunately there's already a lot of inbreeding that happens when people buy a few eggs from a breeder, hatch them, and decide to breed them together even though they're likely full siblings. Then someone buys a few eggs from that person, does the same thing, etc. So your siblings might be inbred already.

Thanks for all the info! I know mine are not inbred. I got them from a friend who got his males and females from difference sources. Hopefully they get along otherwise I’ll need to get a new female

 

[briefvisit]

'Unfortunately there's already a lot of inbreeding that happens when people buy a few eggs from a breeder, hatch them, and decide to breed them together even though they're likely full siblings.'

I understand that Pyxis is spot on in this claim.

Supreme Emu

[The three young females start beating each other up even before it's light enough to read a newspaper headline. They come from their respective roosts in the bush, and the craziness begins.]