Rescued Emu

[ES Emus]

Our newest rescued emu arrived late last night! This escaped bird's story had a happy ending for a change...

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Good to hear, E.S.!!

It looks to be a healthy handsome bird.

S.E.

 

[ES Emus]

Good to hear, E.S.!!

It looks to be a healthy handsome bird.

S.E.

Thanks S.E., it appears to be a male in its second year. It has some superficial injuries, mostly just a big bald spot and some skin tears behind its right thigh, some heavy bruising, and peck marks around its face.. The bird was found wandering in a neighborhood in eastern Pennsylvania and was captured by Animal Control. When the owner(s) could not be found, it was taken to some friends's emu/ostrich farm. They put it in their emu pen and it was immediately attacked and picked on. They knew that we had a large isolation pen, so they contacted us, put it in the back of a work van and drove it over 250 miles and delivered it. It is adjusting nicely and will be gradually introduced to our adult flock. It was a lucky bird that the local Animal Control was able to capture it alive, too often you read about escaped birds being shot.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Lovely!

I think there is a deal for us to learn from such situations such as yours, about the ‘mix and match’ of ages and sexes of emus; and that knowledge applies to both wild and pet birds. So, I like to read the reports.

S.E.

 

[ES Emus]

Lovely!

I think there is a deal for us to learn from such situations such as yours, about the ‘mix and match’ of ages and sexes of emus; and that knowledge applies to both wild and pet birds. So, I like to read the reports.

S.E.

Jut a couple of observations so far S.E. regarding the rescued emu. It is my belief that this was probably a pasture-raised bird because unlike all of my other birds, it has not shown any interest in ratite pelleted food (unlike any emu we've ever had!) and its pure green poop leads me to believe that its diet has been all vegetation. One thing though, it has already garnered the attention of one of our adult female emus that we did not breed last year!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Good for you! Nice Emu!

 

[ES Emus]

Feeding suggestions needed! Unlike all of the other emus that we have ever handled, this new emu refuses to eat ratite pellets and I am sick of watching the blackbirds (boat-tail grackles) gobble down the expensive food. Today, I purchased a bag of "sweet feed", hoping the aroma and the taste of the molasses will stimulate its appetite and interest in feed. My plan is to start with just the sweet feed and if it ever starts eating it, slowly start adding ratite pellets in increasing amounts while slowly reducing the amount of sweet feed. Anybody out there got any better or different suggestion?

 

[Ellamumu]

my mu likes to help herself to my sheeps sweet feed every now and then so hopefully that will work, or maybe a different pellet, my mu likes the purina emu pellets much better than the mazuri.

 

[BrendaJ]

Love Emu's We had one several yrs ago - pretty funny animals. Ours liked to try & sit in your lap & lay its head/neck across our shoulder. He also was best friends with the dog lol. Thanks for being involved in rescue & congrats on your new addition

 

[ES Emus]

Put several bowls of sweet feed out yesterday afternoon inside the fenceline and as soon as the rescued emu found the first one, it started eating. It has eaten more feed last night and this morning than it had in the first ten days! This reinforces my belief that this bird was originally kept in a pasture-type setting with other livestock. My plan is to fatten it up for a couple of weeks on the sweet feed and slowly wean it down to the point where it will be eating ratite pellets before it is introduced to the other adult birds.