Warning to perspective first-time emu owners!

[ES Emus]

It seems like emus are becoming fashionable to own again, as I have been contacted by record numbers of perspective egg and chick buyers. Many of these people have never raised or even been around an adult emu. One of the first questions that I ask any potential customer is, "how much space do you have for your pen?".

I have been amazed at the number of people who have not considered how much room an adult emu requires and planned to raise then in an "old dog or chicken pen". When I get that for an answer, I refuse to consider selling them an emu, even if they get mad or offer me more that what I would normally charge.

Emus are very large birds (duh?) and need to be able to run in order to strengthen their legs and get their exercise. They are not birds that can typically be kept in a back yard "cage" or even the typical residential back yard!. They can run at speeds in excess of 30 miles per hour and take up to 9' in a single stride! Their pens need to be very long (120' or more), although they can be narrow in design.

If you are thinking about becoming an emu owner, remember that an emu, as a rule, requires about the same space that a horse would and you would not (hopefully) think about keeping a horse cooped up in an old dog pen!

 

[yinepu]

Actually.. they were never "fashionable" to own until the past couple of years

The only reason they became available to the general public in the U.S. was as an alternative to beef. So they were being bred as livestock.. to one day grace someone's dinner table. Later on the emu farmers here found out that emu oil was also useful,, so it (as well as the leather) became a byproduct of the meat industry.

Even though some people do keep them as pets now.. they are still being used as a meat, oil and leather source... (and emu meat is quite delicious!).

I have spoken to several people who thought it was "just horrible that anyone could ever eat an emu".. then I have to remind them that if it wasn't for those people who were farming them for their meat.. that 1) they would not have one as a pet now.. and 2) most of what we know about hatching and raising emus came from those very same people who were producing them for their meat, oil and leather.

the sad thing is that there are a lot of people out there who think that keeping an emu (or ostrich) would be "cool" and never stop to realize that in essence they are wanting to own a "100+ pound dinosaur" that can become a hazard to other animals, their neighbors, traffic and so on should it escape .. lol.. it's not a chihuahua or designer dog that you can carry around in an over sized purse!

I love my emus.. but as I have been saying a lot lately.. they are NOT for everyone. They require thought as to their diet, enclosure, socialization.. plus they can live for 25+ years in captivity with proper care. They should also consider what they will do with them if they ever have to move or find themselves unable to keep them any longer.

 

[Emu Island]

I see this thread has been going for a few years now. I just have to jump in as it is obvious that emus and emu behavior can vary greatly - as can the owner's understanding of this magnificent breed of ratite.

My first pair of emu came to live on our farm when they were 6 months old. It took a while to integrate them with our chickens and ducks but with patience, a lot of care, and a couple months time they became one big happy family.Three+ years and three more emus later...

Occasionally the emus decide they don't want any chickens or ducks in the pen with them and they start chasing them. To make sure the littler birds can easily get away we built an interior pen within the emu pen and left a generous gap at the bottom for the chickens and ducks to slip right through. Needless to say a 6 foot tall "big bird" isnt going to be able to follow under a fence so the chickens and ducks can easily get out of the way. We have 72 ducks and a couple dozen chickens and have never had an emu hurt one.

We never ever ever put young chicks or ducklings with the emus. It would be a death sentence as young birds wouldn't instinctively know to run away and the emus would most likely stomp on them for sport. This type behavior is NOT being nasty. Emus are a wild bird and their natural instincts need to be respected.

My advice, if you can't use common sense, don't bring home an emu. They grow to be huge 150 pound birds with giant prehistoric feet! But if you have common sense and are willing to respect and work with the emu's natural behavior, then get a pair of these amazing creatures and enjoy raising and watching them.

That's it... except to say I LOVE MY EMUS!

 

[DallasCriftins]

I was, well long term, still am considering Rheas or Emus
I put up 2M high Deer proof stock fencing around an acre of my land last year

I then started to think about the realities of such large birds as I have a 10 year old son who would often be out in the field with his Ducks on his own
so I have decide to wait a few years so the post above from the OP is spot on

"remember that an emu, as a rule, requires about the same space that a horse"

so that is what we did

Bought Two of them (well Shetlands) and some tiny little Soay Sheep
Even the Sheep in their paddock have 1.2M Stock fencing as they can also jump very well!

Bouncer aged 4



Bouncer the Bamboo rustler



Pixie aged 14



And 4 Soay Sheep

 

[ES Emus]

Hi ES Emus, could you elaborate a little bit on how your emus behave in winter? We're in central NY, so the winters here can be harsh... and my girls don't want anything to do with their house anymore... it's a 10' x 12' shed with a huge double door. They're about 7 months old and seem to be very hardy already (we've had some horrible storms here lately, but they don't even bat an eye!) but I still worry. I thought about building a wind break or a lean-to out of 8' x 4' pallets, but I'm not sure if they would even use it. Do yours even try to get out of the wind and snow, or do they just lay down wherever? Thanks in advance.

they sleep in the snow, wake up and shake it off and continue like nothing happened, they have remained unchanged for about 80 million years, they have outlived the dinosaurs, and can survive temperatures of 0-100 degrees F. with little or no problems, The world's most temperature tolerant birds.

 

[chicadoodledooo]

Here they are yesterday. So much better on their feet.

 

[Doris Roesch]

Hello from Wyoming.
I am the proud mom of a male Emu. He has been with us for 14 years. He lives with a pygmy pig and some Geese in a one acre. Several shelters are available. Emu is not 'LOCKED UP". He joins us at our daily chore. We would love to ourchase at least on, preferrably 2 Emus.

Thank you. Doris

 

[briefvisit]

Does anybody have baby emu for sale close to louisana

Tee hee, Saturday morning cheekiness. Here is Eric with his nine.

 

[briefvisit]

And it's nostalgic to read posts here. Members like ES and Yinepu and Calla and Ashburnham and Ellamumu and Birdeo are well known to me.

The project here at Lake Muir -- notwithstanding my ill health/blindness -- hits its eleventh year only weeks from now. Eric is dead. Greedy is presumed dead. Number One has been away for a couple of seasons. But Felicity and her consort may breed. And two of Eric's orphans, now 18 months' old, are still here. The first wild birds should turn up at the fig tree any time now.

Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, Western Australia

 

[ES Emus]

I was, well long term, still am considering Rheas or Emus
I put up 2M high Deer proof stock fencing around an acre of my land last year

I then started to think about the realities of such large birds as I have a 10 year old son who would often be out in the field with his Ducks on his own
so I have decide to wait a few years so the post above from the OP is spot on

"remember that an emu, as a rule, requires about the same space that a horse"

so that is what we did

Bought Two of them (well Shetlands) and some tiny little Soay Sheep
Even the Sheep in their paddock have 1.2M Stock fencing as they can also jump very well!

Bouncer aged 4



Bouncer the Bamboo rustler



Pixie aged 14



And 4 Soay Sheep

Great pictures Dallas!