Cochintrice
Chirping
- Mar 5, 2021
- 12
- 14
- 59
So, odd question. I really want input from experienced emu breeders who sell chicks if I can get it.
I LOVE emus, but my property isn't fenced, so I can't have adults. I still want to experience caring for an emu before I die and there is nowhere nearby for me to volunteer. After moving to my current home and watching local marketplaces for over a year I know there is nearby demand for fresh hatched emu chicks (especially blonde and white,) and that I have access to local hatching eggs for normal and blonde emus.
So I would like to incubate a very limited number of eggs (likely 4 max,) raise the babies that hatch to a hardier age, and find them homes at about 3 months old (as old as I have a fenced area for.) I could DNA sex the hatchlings and the whole point would be me getting to spend time with emus, so they would get very spoiled.
So when I say "is it worth it" I don't mean "can I make a profit," I mean "is there enough of a demand for established, sexed, socialized older emu chicks that I would be able to reliably find homes?"
With chickens my rule has always been "only hatch what you can give lifelong care." I am cautious about breaking that rule here because I'd be up a creek if I failed to rehome them. I know there is a demand for breeding adults, fresh chicks, and fertile eggs, but I don't have any data points on older chicks. I don't know if it is because there is no demand or simply no one has them! I want to guess it is the latter, since it is putting in an awful lot of labor when a fresh hatched baby sells just fine, but I could be wrong.
Upside, when I can finally fence in our property I will already have young emu experience to bring to raising my first keepers!
I LOVE emus, but my property isn't fenced, so I can't have adults. I still want to experience caring for an emu before I die and there is nowhere nearby for me to volunteer. After moving to my current home and watching local marketplaces for over a year I know there is nearby demand for fresh hatched emu chicks (especially blonde and white,) and that I have access to local hatching eggs for normal and blonde emus.
So I would like to incubate a very limited number of eggs (likely 4 max,) raise the babies that hatch to a hardier age, and find them homes at about 3 months old (as old as I have a fenced area for.) I could DNA sex the hatchlings and the whole point would be me getting to spend time with emus, so they would get very spoiled.
So when I say "is it worth it" I don't mean "can I make a profit," I mean "is there enough of a demand for established, sexed, socialized older emu chicks that I would be able to reliably find homes?"
With chickens my rule has always been "only hatch what you can give lifelong care." I am cautious about breaking that rule here because I'd be up a creek if I failed to rehome them. I know there is a demand for breeding adults, fresh chicks, and fertile eggs, but I don't have any data points on older chicks. I don't know if it is because there is no demand or simply no one has them! I want to guess it is the latter, since it is putting in an awful lot of labor when a fresh hatched baby sells just fine, but I could be wrong.
Upside, when I can finally fence in our property I will already have young emu experience to bring to raising my first keepers!