Please note: I don't always get notified when there is a comment to the articles that I have posted.. so if you have a question and I don't get back to you here... just drop me a PM
I believe in giving credit where credit is due... Many thanks to Janice Castleberry (an author and also a breeder of thousands of emus during the heyday of the emu meat production days) and to my crazy German relatives and ancestors, the Schaubers and the Grimms.
I am very lucky to have met Mrs Castleberry in person since she lives here in Texas and was one of the leaders in emu hatching and production and I owe much of what I have learned about the correct way to hatch emus from her and her husband.
The rest of what I have learned about hatching birds in general comes from my crazy German mother, grandparents and their parents and grandparents before them
My thanks to them all and my 50+ years of hatching out birds under their guidance.
My original emu hatch info can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/emu-hatch
(contains pics of my incubators as well as pics of the chicks from last years hatch)
I'm setting 8+ eggs this year.. all shipped eggs .(though the California eggs may not hatch at all due to problems with shipping)
I'm planning on incubating these at 95.5 and for a duration of 55 to 58 days. The eggs will need to lose 12 to 15 % +/- 1.2% of their weight total during those 58 days of incubation.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION:
Incubator location can be a major issue with hatching out any eggs but especially the larger birds like emus, ostrich and rheas. As the embryo grows a chick needs more oxygen. So you will want to make sure the incubator has good air flow AROUND it. Mrs Castleberry told me how they had a problem with lots of dead embryos when they first started hatching out ratite eggs. What they discovered through trial and error was that their incubators and hatchers were too close to the wall which cause "dead air" to form around their bators and hatchers. Once they moved them away from the walls more oxygen and fresh air could flow around and the embryo deaths stopped.
Humidity control will also be affected by location. So please take that into account when trying to hatch out ratite eggs. They need low humidity so a dank humid basement may not be the best location for the incubator.
INCUBATION TEMPERATURE
If you search the internet you will find all kinds of advice as to temperature and humidity for hatching out an emu egg (or any kind of Ratite egg for that matter).
Here on BYC the general consensus was to incubate at 97.5 ºF for a duration of about 50 to 55 days. Some emu chicks will hatch out at 49 days and some may take the entire 55 days. So it's a good idea to talk to them and check on them frequently during hatch as well as that last week.
After speaking to Janice Castleberry, i discovered that through trial and error she discovered that a lower incubation temperature was more desirable. incubating at 95.5 is closer to the natural temperature that the male emu incubates the eggs. It DOES increase the number of days of incubation to closer to 60 days. However as Mrs Castleberry noted it resulted in much stronger and healthier emu chicks.
Last year i incubated at the standard 97.5 and had good results (the majority of the eggs were shipped). This year if I have any failures I expect it to be from the California eggs. mainly because they were lost for several days, arrived damaged and also traveled through the Austin postal hub which is notorious for damaging eggs.
UPDATE: i have 100% hatch rates this year with the Kansas emu eggs!
TURNING
I hand turn mine 5 times a day. Some people do fine with 3 times a day. But I prefer 5. Studies have been done on incubating eggs and they determined that the more often an egg is turned the better chance it has to use the albumen. it has also been proven that the average hen (chicken) turns her eggs 96 times a day.... But that's a completely different conversation.
So I do what works for me. i have the alarm set on my phone and if I am out when it goes off it's not THAT big of a deal so long as I turn them again as soon as I get home. However it is important to try to turn them the same time every day if at all possible.
Many people use X & O on the eggs to turn them.. I don't.
When I get ready to put them into the incubator I put a tag on one side .. for example A, B, C, D and so on as you can see in some of the pictures posted here.
So the egg is placed in the incubator with the letter facing UP.. in this case the first egg was A
The first time it is turned I turn it to the RIGHT so the A is now on the bottom of the egg facing the incubator
the second time it is turned I roll it back to the LEFT so the A is facing back on top
the third time it is turned the egg is rolled to the LEFT again so the A is back on the bottom
The fourth time I turn it the egg is rolled back to the RIGHT so the A is back on the top
and the fifth time the egg is turned for the first day it is rolled to the RIGHT once more so the A is on the bottom
The next day the process starts over with the A starting out on the bottom and the egg being rolled back to the LEFT so the A will be back on the top
HUMIDITY
As for humidity for emu eggs.. well.. there isn't a way to candle them that I have heard from (and I have tried the brightest LED lights I could afford and find). Lol.. my husband thought I was nuts for spending over $ 70. for a flashlight until he started playing with it.. now it's with him in Afghanistan since I had 0 success using it on the emu eggs anyway! So to determine if the eggs are on track and what the humidity should be the only remaining way is to weigh them.
The eggs should be weighed on a good gram scale before they are set into the incubator.. and then at least once a week after (preferably on the same day of the week).
Emu eggs need to lose 15% (=/- 1.2%) of their total weight during the entire course of incubation..
So an emu egg that weighs 600 grams would need to lose 90 grams during the 50 or 60 days that they are in the incubator. Naturally weight loss per week will vary depending on the duration of the incubation.. so that will have to be taken into account when figuring the weight loss for the week or even day.
There are a few ways to calculate it. But here's how I figure the weight loss that's ideal.. I'll use that same 600 gram egg as an example
so 600 grams starting weight minus 15% = 90 grams.
Since the egg needs to lose 90 grams... the goal or target weight would be 510 grams. ( 600 grams - 90 = 510 )
Lets say we are planning on incubating at 97.5 (50 to 55 days or about 7 to 8 weeks).. for arguments sake lets pick 7 weeks which would be 49 days (most of mine last year hatched at the 49 to 52 day mark) So 90 grams (the amount this egg would need to lose) divided by 7 weeks would be 90 / 7 = 12.86 grams per week. To figure the daily weight loss all you would need to do would be to divide the weekly weight loss (in this case 12.86) by 7
So for humidity start your incubation DRY (no added water) and only add water IF the egg indicates it by losing too much weight too quickly.
WHAT IF I NEVER WEIGHED MY EGGS IN THE BEGINNING?
There is a formula you can use for figuring what the starting weight of each egg SHOULD have been.. then you can calculate the 15% weight loss to see how far off they are..
I have never tried this formula.. but I have seen it written several times... so hopefully it's correct
You would need to use calipers to measure for an exact reading (not sure if you have access to any or not)
It's known as Hoyt's method which requires a species specific coefficient (for emu eggs that would be 0.00056)
So using the calipers you would need to measure the length of the egg..
you would also need to measure the width of the egg
So starting Weight would be Species Specific Coefficient X Length X Width X Width
or
W = CSS x L x W x W
Once you have the starting weight figured out you can then figure the 15% weight loss for ending weight as well as weight loss per day and week
DANGER ZONES
Since an egg CAN lose 15 % (=/- 1.2%) the egg wouldn't be considered to be in the danger zone unless it loses only 10% or as much as 20%
At only a 10% loss of weight you can expect the chick to be bloated and unable to stand or move about. There is a chance the chick CAN survive but it has a much harder time getting out of the shell since it would be bloated and unable to turn or break the shell properly. Cause: would be humidity that is too high
At 20% weight loss the chick would be very dehydrated. Assuming it COULD break out of the shell (chances are slim since it would be very weak) it would need electrolyte solution immediately if there were any hope of survival. Even if the chick did survive with being so dehydrated there is a chance of organ damage. Cause: humidity during incubation was too low.
WHAT TO DO WITH DANGER ZONE EGGS or EGGS THAT ARE NOT ON TRACK WITH WEIGHT LOSS
Remember that the "weather" inside and outside of your home can play a part on the relative humidity so you need to consider if the incubator is placed in a high humidity area or low humidity area. Everything from aquariums and constant rain to running the heater or air conditioner can affect the humidity.. so you would need to pay attention to what's going on in your home and location.
When an egg begins to lose weight much too quickly or not quickly enough there are a few things you can do to try to remedy the situation.
First check the eggs location in relation to the fan. If it's losing weight too quickly and all other eggs are fine try moving it away from the fan. If that doesn't help you can paint stripes around the egg (using non toxic paint) or apply stripes of candle wax (unscented) around the egg. The idea would be to block some of the pores on a porous egg. Which would slow weight loss. I would avoid painting or applying wax to the air cell end since the chick still needs to breathe!
If ALL the eggs are losing weight too rapidly then add a small container of water to the incubator and continue monitoring the eggs daily to help judge if you need a larger surface area of water or if your eggs are now on track.
What if the eggs are losing weight too slowly?
If it's just one.. check it's location in relation to the fan.
If it's all the eggs that would mean that the humidity would be too high in the incubator. If you have 0 water in there consider the location of the incubator in your home. Is it in the kitchen, bathroom, too close to a window or aquarium? A quick fix may be just moving it to a different part of your home. If your home is like mine there really isn't much of a difference in any of the rooms.. so the next thing would be to get some plain white rice and add a tray of that or other moisture absorbing material to the inside of the incubator. Some times you can save up those little packets of silica gel that come in shoes or other items (they are usually found with items made of leather or food items like nori sheets) and reuse them in the bator. Or just buy them off of ebay.
If all else fails you MIGHT have to use a nail file or light sand paper and gently remove some of the thick outer coating off of the eggs.. but I would do that as a last resort since you would also be removing the protective coating off of the egg which could lead to problems with bacteria. personally if I have an egg that is losing too little weight I will usually wait it out in hopes the weather will turn a bit drier and the issue will remedy itself.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THERE'S A LIVE CHICK IN THERE?
There are several tests you can preform to see if that little emu egg has a live occupant
Since we can't candle the eggs we have to go by other methods to see.
the wiggle
Around day 33 or so (give or take a few days depending on incubation temperature) you may think you saw the egg move.. Chances are that your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.. but unless you know for certain that the egg is sitting on a level surface vibrations can cause it to move. So first the best thing to do is to make sure the surface the egg is sitting on it smooth and level. I like to check the eggs when I take them out to weigh them.
I set the egg on the level surface and then talk to it.. whistle or talking.. either one works. If there is a healthy live chick in there (who happens to be awake) you may see the egg wiggle from side to side. (almost as if it is wagging at you like a puppy tail). The chicks won't move every time you talk to them or even every time you remove them from the bator. So don't be discouraged if you don't see the wiggle cause the little guy will be sleeping a lot. If you do see the wiggle please don't force him to wiggle for all your friends or family members since he isn't a party trick. Sure it will be tempting, so hopefully you can catch it on video for them to see. Now don't get your hopes up too high.. even if the egg wiggles there is no guarantee that he will make it out of his shell alive. It just lets you know that, yes, right now there is a live baby emu in there!
tap testing
Around day 39 (again depending on your incubation temperature) you can start "tap testing".
What you would need is a good flat surface plus a solid piece of metal rod. I like to use a half inch spade point drill bit since it gives me the perfect tone. I have tried everything from a butter knife to metal chopsticks and i always go back to my trusty drill bit. You would have to see what you have available.
So for tap testing set the egg on a good flat surface, then lightly tap the egg and listen to the sound it makes. At day 39 it should make sort of a deep "THUNK" sound which is perfectly normal. As the chick nears the hatch date that "THUNK" will change to a higher pitch "TINK" (almost like tapping fine china). The change in sound is definite.. and its a sound you won't confuse with the deep "THUNK". What it tells you is that the membrane has begun to pull away from the inside of the shell. It DOES NOT guarantee that the chick is alive since a rotten egg will also have the membrane pulling away from the inside and will give you the same high pitched "TINK" sound. But if the chick is alive it will tell you that hatch should happen within the next couple of days.
cool testing
Cool testing is where you remove the egg from the incubator and let it sit at room temperature for anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. This should only be done later on in incubation since what you will be testing for is a large embryo.. one which is capable of generating some heat on it's own. When an emu egg is left out of the incubator for several minutes one of two things will happen. Either both ends of the egg will become cool to the touch (indicating no embryo) or one end will stay noticeably warmer. If one end does stay warmer then that indicates you have a LIVE emu chick developing in the egg. Again I must stress that this only works on eggs where the embryo has reached a good size and is alive since a tiny embryo won't have filled the egg enough for you to feel the temperature difference. So I would wait until at least day 35 or so and then only cool test it if you have not seen any wiggle at all or if a once wiggling egg has stopped wiggling completely.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FRESH AIR:
Other than temperature and humidity THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR HATCHING OUT ANY KIND OF EGG is fresh air and oxygen. It does no good to worry about weighing eggs and making sure the temperature is correct if the chicks can't get enough oxygen at hatch. I don't know how many people I have had to argue with over this one simple fact. Most chick deaths (in any kind of bird) are caused by drowning and LACK OF OXYGEN or plain and simple CARBON DIOXIDE POISONING. people will tell you to put the plugs in and close up the vents at hatch to raise humidity for hatching eggs when in reality all they are doing is forcing the chicks to try to breath their own carbon dioxide. As a embryo grows it needs MORE oxygen.. not less. I have had to argue and fuss at people to quit worrying about humidity so much and to focus on oxygen and fresh air exchange. It does no good is the chick dies in shell because it can't breathe. For ratites humidity is only a concern during incubation. At hatch they do just fine with low humidity and plenty of fresh air so do not even consider "lockdown" for ratites! Open the bator once in a while and talk to them.. encourage them to pop out of their shells.. the membrane on an emu chick SHOULD be dry since they don't pip and zip an egg like a chicken does anyway! They break out of their shells much like a bull in a china shop, breaking big chunks out of the shell, ripping that membrane and not the dainty pip and zip like a quail chick. EMUS NEED FRESH AIR!!!!!
If at hatch your emu chick is red around the eyes it is an indication of carbon dioxide poisoning!!!!!
SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON HAND AT HATCH:
In addition to the incubator and brooder:
Electrolyte powder / solution (I use SAVE-A-CHICK) for dehydrated or weak chicks
Vitamin supplements (SAVE-A-CHICK or some avian vitamins) for adding to all chicks water for the first week
Styptic pencil or powder (powder is best.. but a pencil will work) for treating any bleeding or bloody navels
Bandaids or Vetwrap or "ouchless bandage" for wobbly chicks to make leg hobbles
Betadine solution or iodine for treating open navels
Cotton swabs for applying the betadine or iodine to the navels
Soft towels and shelf liner I use shelf liner in the bottom of the incubator and soft towels for the brooder to help prevent splayed legs. Normally I would use shelf liner for both. But for emu chicks they do better with a towel in their brooder to give extra support for leg development. The towels can be replaced with bedding once the emu chicks are up and moving about well in a few days after hatch.
I will add in info on feeding new emu chicks later on.
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
January 16th 2013:
I just received 4 emu eggs from Heston, Kansas this morning. Expecting 4 more within the next few days from California!
here are the first 4 (got a 100% hatch rate on these guys)!
EGG A: Laid January 10. weight 532 grams
Seller's code "A"
EGG B: Laid January 11. Weight 621 grams
Seller's Code "J"
EGG C: Laid January 13. Weight 659 grams
Seller's code "C2"
EGG D: Laid January 13. Weight 707 grams
Seller's Code "G"
The seller wrote her own code on each egg before shipment.. so later on if I get more eggs from her she will be able to send me eggs that are unrelated to my current birds.
The second four: January 22, 2013
These are from Royal Oaks, California. They were lost for several days in the mail and when they arrived one was broken (another had a small chip taken out of the outer layer of the shell). I went ahead and patched the two eggs with issues (I used Oxine and candle wax). The broken egg is liable to end up rotten.. but I suppose time will tell.
EGG E: pale egg .. will be closely monitored. Many people can not get these to hatch because the shell is missing the outer layers. But i am always up for a challenge. WEIGHT: 709 grams
EGG F: Weight 439 grams
EGG G: WEIGHT 528 grams
EGG H: (broken egg) WEIGHT 465 grams (you can see the edge of the patch at the bottom end of the egg)
January 25, 2013
Two more eggs from California
EGG I: WEIGHT 446 grams (I need to get a better pic of it)
EGG J: WEIGHT 602 grams
(J is the replacement egg for the broken one, H)
Heston Kansas eggs:
EGG A Banded Green
January 16 532 g (target weight loss 79.8 g with goal weight of 452.2 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 10.16 grams
January 23 (day 7) 522 g (10 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 513 g (9 g lost from last weigh in.. 19 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 504 9 (9 g lost from last weigh in ..28 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 495 g (9 g lost from last weigh in ..37 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 486 g (9 g lost from last weigh in.. 46 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 476 (10 g lost from last weigh in... 56 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 464 (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 68 g total)
Hatched March 11, 2013 (54 days)
weight at hatch (after drying) 350 grams
EGG B Banded Blue
January 16 621 g (target weight loss 93.15 g with goal weight of 527.85 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 11.9 grams
January 23 (day 7) 608 g (13 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 597 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 24 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 585 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 36 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 574 g (11 g lost from last weigh in ..47 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 562 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 59 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 548 g (14 g lost from last weigh in... 73 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 533 g (15 g lost from last weigh in.. 88 g total)
March 7 (day 50) chick started whistling at me
March 10 (day 53) 523 g (10 g lost since last weigh in... 98 g total .. weighed after cracked open)
Egg B top row center in picture below:
Hatched March 10, 2013 (53 days)
weight at hatch (after drying): 405 grams
EGG C Banded Yellow
January 16 659 g (target weight loss 98.85 g with goal weight of 560.15 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 12.6 grams
January 23 (day 7) 648 g (11 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 638 g (10 g lost from last weigh in.. 21 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 627 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 32 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 616 g (11 g lost from last weigh in ..43 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 605 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 54 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 593 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 66 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 578 g (15 g lost from last weigh in.. 81 g total)
Hatched March 12, 2013 (55 days)
weight at hatch (after drying) 539 grams
chick C in front.. chick D hatching:
EGG D
January 16 707 g (target weight loss 106.05 g with goal weight of 600.95 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 13.5 grams
January 23 (day 7) 690 g (17 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 677 g (13 g lost from last weigh in.. 30 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 663 g (14 g lost from last weigh in.. 44 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 649 g (14 g lost from last weigh in ..58 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 634 g (15 g lost from last weigh in... 73 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 619 g (15 g lost from last weigh in... 88 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 600 g (19 g lost from last weigh in.. 107 g total)
Hatched March 12, 2013 (55 days)
Royal Oaks California eggs:
first shipment:
EGG E
January 22 709 g (target weight loss 106.35 g with goal weight of 602.65 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 13.5 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 695 g (14 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 688 (7 g lost from last weigh in.. 21 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 678 g (10 g lost from last weigh in ..31 g total)
February 19 (day 28) 667 g (11 g lost from last weigh in...42 g total)
February 26 (day 35) 656 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 53 g total)
March 2 (day 39) start tap testing
March 5 (day 42) 644 g (12 g lost from last weigh in...65 g total)
March 12 (day 49) 631 g (13 g lost from last weigh in.. 78 g total)
March 19 (day 56)
EGG F
January 22 439 g (target weight loss 65.85 g with goal weight of 373.15 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 8.4 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 427 g (12 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 420 (7 g lost from last weigh in.. 19 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 411 (9 g lost from last weigh in ..28 g total)
February 19 (day 28) 402 (9 g lost from last weigh in... 37 g total)
February 26 (day 35) 393 g (9 g lost from last weigh in.. 46 g total)
March 2 (day 39) start tap testing
March 5 (day 42) 381 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 58 g total)
March 12 (day 49) 369 g (12 g lost from last weigh in... 70 g total)
March 19 (day 56)
EGG G
January 22 528 g (target weight loss 79.2 g with goal weight of 448.8 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 10 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 517 g (11 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 510 (7 g lost from last weigh in.. 18 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 500 g (10 g lost from last weigh in ..28 g total)
February 19 (day 28) 491 g (9 g lost from last weigh in ... 37 g total)
February 26 (day 35) 481 g (10 g lost from last weigh in... 47 g total)
March 2 (day 39) start tap testing
March 5 (day 42) 469 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 59 g total)
March 12 (day 49) 456 g (13 g lost from last weigh in..72 g total)
March 19 (day 56)
EGG H
January 22 465 g (target weight loss 69.75 g with goal weight of 395.25 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 8.9 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 446 g (19 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 436 (10 g lost from last weigh in.. 29 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 423 g (13 g lost from last weigh in ..42 g total)
February 17 removed from incubator. Very rotten. This was the egg that arrived broken and was also lost in transit for several days (along with Eggs E, F & G).. so they all could be rotten.. time will tell.
second & third shipments:
EGG I
January 25 446 g (target weight loss 66.9 g with goal weight of 379.1 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 8.5 grams
February 1 (day 7) 435 g (11 g lost from last weigh in)
February 8 (day 14) 425 g (10 g lost from last weigh in.. 21 g total)
February 15 (day 21) 415 g (10 g lost from last weigh in ... 31 g total)
February 22 (day 28) 405 g (10 g lost from last weigh in... 41 g total)
March 1 (day 35) 394 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 52 g total)
March 5 (day 39) start tap testing
March 8 (day 42) 382 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 64 g total)
March 15 (day 49) 370 g (12 g lost from last weigh in...76 g total)
March 22 (day 56)
EGG J
January 25 602 g (target weight loss 90.3 g with goal weight of 511.7 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 11.5 grams
February 1 (day 7) 589 g (13 g lost from last weigh in)
February 8 (day 14) 575 g (14 g lost from last weigh in... 27 g total)
February 15 (day 21) 562 g (13 g lost from last weigh in... 40 g total)
February 22 (day 28) 548 g (14 g lost from last weigh in.. 54 g total)
March 1 (day 35) 535 g (13 g lost from last weigh in... 67 g total)
March 5 (day 39) start tap testing
March 8 (day 42) 518 g (17 g lost from last weigh in.. 84 g total)
March 15 (day 49) 503 g (15 g lost from last weigh in... 99 g total)
March 17 (day 51) 494 g (weighed after cracked open)
Hatched March 17, 2013 (51 days)
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
I believe in giving credit where credit is due... Many thanks to Janice Castleberry (an author and also a breeder of thousands of emus during the heyday of the emu meat production days) and to my crazy German relatives and ancestors, the Schaubers and the Grimms.
I am very lucky to have met Mrs Castleberry in person since she lives here in Texas and was one of the leaders in emu hatching and production and I owe much of what I have learned about the correct way to hatch emus from her and her husband.
The rest of what I have learned about hatching birds in general comes from my crazy German mother, grandparents and their parents and grandparents before them
My thanks to them all and my 50+ years of hatching out birds under their guidance.
My original emu hatch info can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/emu-hatch
(contains pics of my incubators as well as pics of the chicks from last years hatch)
I'm setting 8+ eggs this year.. all shipped eggs .(though the California eggs may not hatch at all due to problems with shipping)
I'm planning on incubating these at 95.5 and for a duration of 55 to 58 days. The eggs will need to lose 12 to 15 % +/- 1.2% of their weight total during those 58 days of incubation.
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
GENERAL EMU EGG HATCHING INFO (much of which will work for all Ratites):
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION:
Incubator location can be a major issue with hatching out any eggs but especially the larger birds like emus, ostrich and rheas. As the embryo grows a chick needs more oxygen. So you will want to make sure the incubator has good air flow AROUND it. Mrs Castleberry told me how they had a problem with lots of dead embryos when they first started hatching out ratite eggs. What they discovered through trial and error was that their incubators and hatchers were too close to the wall which cause "dead air" to form around their bators and hatchers. Once they moved them away from the walls more oxygen and fresh air could flow around and the embryo deaths stopped.
Humidity control will also be affected by location. So please take that into account when trying to hatch out ratite eggs. They need low humidity so a dank humid basement may not be the best location for the incubator.
INCUBATION TEMPERATURE
If you search the internet you will find all kinds of advice as to temperature and humidity for hatching out an emu egg (or any kind of Ratite egg for that matter).
Here on BYC the general consensus was to incubate at 97.5 ºF for a duration of about 50 to 55 days. Some emu chicks will hatch out at 49 days and some may take the entire 55 days. So it's a good idea to talk to them and check on them frequently during hatch as well as that last week.
After speaking to Janice Castleberry, i discovered that through trial and error she discovered that a lower incubation temperature was more desirable. incubating at 95.5 is closer to the natural temperature that the male emu incubates the eggs. It DOES increase the number of days of incubation to closer to 60 days. However as Mrs Castleberry noted it resulted in much stronger and healthier emu chicks.
Last year i incubated at the standard 97.5 and had good results (the majority of the eggs were shipped). This year if I have any failures I expect it to be from the California eggs. mainly because they were lost for several days, arrived damaged and also traveled through the Austin postal hub which is notorious for damaging eggs.
UPDATE: i have 100% hatch rates this year with the Kansas emu eggs!
TURNING
I hand turn mine 5 times a day. Some people do fine with 3 times a day. But I prefer 5. Studies have been done on incubating eggs and they determined that the more often an egg is turned the better chance it has to use the albumen. it has also been proven that the average hen (chicken) turns her eggs 96 times a day.... But that's a completely different conversation.
So I do what works for me. i have the alarm set on my phone and if I am out when it goes off it's not THAT big of a deal so long as I turn them again as soon as I get home. However it is important to try to turn them the same time every day if at all possible.
Many people use X & O on the eggs to turn them.. I don't.
When I get ready to put them into the incubator I put a tag on one side .. for example A, B, C, D and so on as you can see in some of the pictures posted here.
So the egg is placed in the incubator with the letter facing UP.. in this case the first egg was A
The first time it is turned I turn it to the RIGHT so the A is now on the bottom of the egg facing the incubator
the second time it is turned I roll it back to the LEFT so the A is facing back on top
the third time it is turned the egg is rolled to the LEFT again so the A is back on the bottom
The fourth time I turn it the egg is rolled back to the RIGHT so the A is back on the top
and the fifth time the egg is turned for the first day it is rolled to the RIGHT once more so the A is on the bottom
The next day the process starts over with the A starting out on the bottom and the egg being rolled back to the LEFT so the A will be back on the top
HUMIDITY
As for humidity for emu eggs.. well.. there isn't a way to candle them that I have heard from (and I have tried the brightest LED lights I could afford and find). Lol.. my husband thought I was nuts for spending over $ 70. for a flashlight until he started playing with it.. now it's with him in Afghanistan since I had 0 success using it on the emu eggs anyway! So to determine if the eggs are on track and what the humidity should be the only remaining way is to weigh them.
The eggs should be weighed on a good gram scale before they are set into the incubator.. and then at least once a week after (preferably on the same day of the week).
Emu eggs need to lose 15% (=/- 1.2%) of their total weight during the entire course of incubation..
So an emu egg that weighs 600 grams would need to lose 90 grams during the 50 or 60 days that they are in the incubator. Naturally weight loss per week will vary depending on the duration of the incubation.. so that will have to be taken into account when figuring the weight loss for the week or even day.
There are a few ways to calculate it. But here's how I figure the weight loss that's ideal.. I'll use that same 600 gram egg as an example
so 600 grams starting weight minus 15% = 90 grams.
Since the egg needs to lose 90 grams... the goal or target weight would be 510 grams. ( 600 grams - 90 = 510 )
Lets say we are planning on incubating at 97.5 (50 to 55 days or about 7 to 8 weeks).. for arguments sake lets pick 7 weeks which would be 49 days (most of mine last year hatched at the 49 to 52 day mark) So 90 grams (the amount this egg would need to lose) divided by 7 weeks would be 90 / 7 = 12.86 grams per week. To figure the daily weight loss all you would need to do would be to divide the weekly weight loss (in this case 12.86) by 7
So for humidity start your incubation DRY (no added water) and only add water IF the egg indicates it by losing too much weight too quickly.
WHAT IF I NEVER WEIGHED MY EGGS IN THE BEGINNING?
There is a formula you can use for figuring what the starting weight of each egg SHOULD have been.. then you can calculate the 15% weight loss to see how far off they are..
I have never tried this formula.. but I have seen it written several times... so hopefully it's correct
You would need to use calipers to measure for an exact reading (not sure if you have access to any or not)
It's known as Hoyt's method which requires a species specific coefficient (for emu eggs that would be 0.00056)
So using the calipers you would need to measure the length of the egg..
you would also need to measure the width of the egg
So starting Weight would be Species Specific Coefficient X Length X Width X Width
or
W = CSS x L x W x W
Once you have the starting weight figured out you can then figure the 15% weight loss for ending weight as well as weight loss per day and week
DANGER ZONES
Since an egg CAN lose 15 % (=/- 1.2%) the egg wouldn't be considered to be in the danger zone unless it loses only 10% or as much as 20%
At only a 10% loss of weight you can expect the chick to be bloated and unable to stand or move about. There is a chance the chick CAN survive but it has a much harder time getting out of the shell since it would be bloated and unable to turn or break the shell properly. Cause: would be humidity that is too high
At 20% weight loss the chick would be very dehydrated. Assuming it COULD break out of the shell (chances are slim since it would be very weak) it would need electrolyte solution immediately if there were any hope of survival. Even if the chick did survive with being so dehydrated there is a chance of organ damage. Cause: humidity during incubation was too low.
WHAT TO DO WITH DANGER ZONE EGGS or EGGS THAT ARE NOT ON TRACK WITH WEIGHT LOSS
Remember that the "weather" inside and outside of your home can play a part on the relative humidity so you need to consider if the incubator is placed in a high humidity area or low humidity area. Everything from aquariums and constant rain to running the heater or air conditioner can affect the humidity.. so you would need to pay attention to what's going on in your home and location.
When an egg begins to lose weight much too quickly or not quickly enough there are a few things you can do to try to remedy the situation.
First check the eggs location in relation to the fan. If it's losing weight too quickly and all other eggs are fine try moving it away from the fan. If that doesn't help you can paint stripes around the egg (using non toxic paint) or apply stripes of candle wax (unscented) around the egg. The idea would be to block some of the pores on a porous egg. Which would slow weight loss. I would avoid painting or applying wax to the air cell end since the chick still needs to breathe!
If ALL the eggs are losing weight too rapidly then add a small container of water to the incubator and continue monitoring the eggs daily to help judge if you need a larger surface area of water or if your eggs are now on track.
What if the eggs are losing weight too slowly?
If it's just one.. check it's location in relation to the fan.
If it's all the eggs that would mean that the humidity would be too high in the incubator. If you have 0 water in there consider the location of the incubator in your home. Is it in the kitchen, bathroom, too close to a window or aquarium? A quick fix may be just moving it to a different part of your home. If your home is like mine there really isn't much of a difference in any of the rooms.. so the next thing would be to get some plain white rice and add a tray of that or other moisture absorbing material to the inside of the incubator. Some times you can save up those little packets of silica gel that come in shoes or other items (they are usually found with items made of leather or food items like nori sheets) and reuse them in the bator. Or just buy them off of ebay.
If all else fails you MIGHT have to use a nail file or light sand paper and gently remove some of the thick outer coating off of the eggs.. but I would do that as a last resort since you would also be removing the protective coating off of the egg which could lead to problems with bacteria. personally if I have an egg that is losing too little weight I will usually wait it out in hopes the weather will turn a bit drier and the issue will remedy itself.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THERE'S A LIVE CHICK IN THERE?
There are several tests you can preform to see if that little emu egg has a live occupant
Since we can't candle the eggs we have to go by other methods to see.
the wiggle
Around day 33 or so (give or take a few days depending on incubation temperature) you may think you saw the egg move.. Chances are that your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.. but unless you know for certain that the egg is sitting on a level surface vibrations can cause it to move. So first the best thing to do is to make sure the surface the egg is sitting on it smooth and level. I like to check the eggs when I take them out to weigh them.
I set the egg on the level surface and then talk to it.. whistle or talking.. either one works. If there is a healthy live chick in there (who happens to be awake) you may see the egg wiggle from side to side. (almost as if it is wagging at you like a puppy tail). The chicks won't move every time you talk to them or even every time you remove them from the bator. So don't be discouraged if you don't see the wiggle cause the little guy will be sleeping a lot. If you do see the wiggle please don't force him to wiggle for all your friends or family members since he isn't a party trick. Sure it will be tempting, so hopefully you can catch it on video for them to see. Now don't get your hopes up too high.. even if the egg wiggles there is no guarantee that he will make it out of his shell alive. It just lets you know that, yes, right now there is a live baby emu in there!
tap testing
Around day 39 (again depending on your incubation temperature) you can start "tap testing".
What you would need is a good flat surface plus a solid piece of metal rod. I like to use a half inch spade point drill bit since it gives me the perfect tone. I have tried everything from a butter knife to metal chopsticks and i always go back to my trusty drill bit. You would have to see what you have available.
So for tap testing set the egg on a good flat surface, then lightly tap the egg and listen to the sound it makes. At day 39 it should make sort of a deep "THUNK" sound which is perfectly normal. As the chick nears the hatch date that "THUNK" will change to a higher pitch "TINK" (almost like tapping fine china). The change in sound is definite.. and its a sound you won't confuse with the deep "THUNK". What it tells you is that the membrane has begun to pull away from the inside of the shell. It DOES NOT guarantee that the chick is alive since a rotten egg will also have the membrane pulling away from the inside and will give you the same high pitched "TINK" sound. But if the chick is alive it will tell you that hatch should happen within the next couple of days.
cool testing
Cool testing is where you remove the egg from the incubator and let it sit at room temperature for anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. This should only be done later on in incubation since what you will be testing for is a large embryo.. one which is capable of generating some heat on it's own. When an emu egg is left out of the incubator for several minutes one of two things will happen. Either both ends of the egg will become cool to the touch (indicating no embryo) or one end will stay noticeably warmer. If one end does stay warmer then that indicates you have a LIVE emu chick developing in the egg. Again I must stress that this only works on eggs where the embryo has reached a good size and is alive since a tiny embryo won't have filled the egg enough for you to feel the temperature difference. So I would wait until at least day 35 or so and then only cool test it if you have not seen any wiggle at all or if a once wiggling egg has stopped wiggling completely.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FRESH AIR:
Other than temperature and humidity THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR HATCHING OUT ANY KIND OF EGG is fresh air and oxygen. It does no good to worry about weighing eggs and making sure the temperature is correct if the chicks can't get enough oxygen at hatch. I don't know how many people I have had to argue with over this one simple fact. Most chick deaths (in any kind of bird) are caused by drowning and LACK OF OXYGEN or plain and simple CARBON DIOXIDE POISONING. people will tell you to put the plugs in and close up the vents at hatch to raise humidity for hatching eggs when in reality all they are doing is forcing the chicks to try to breath their own carbon dioxide. As a embryo grows it needs MORE oxygen.. not less. I have had to argue and fuss at people to quit worrying about humidity so much and to focus on oxygen and fresh air exchange. It does no good is the chick dies in shell because it can't breathe. For ratites humidity is only a concern during incubation. At hatch they do just fine with low humidity and plenty of fresh air so do not even consider "lockdown" for ratites! Open the bator once in a while and talk to them.. encourage them to pop out of their shells.. the membrane on an emu chick SHOULD be dry since they don't pip and zip an egg like a chicken does anyway! They break out of their shells much like a bull in a china shop, breaking big chunks out of the shell, ripping that membrane and not the dainty pip and zip like a quail chick. EMUS NEED FRESH AIR!!!!!
If at hatch your emu chick is red around the eyes it is an indication of carbon dioxide poisoning!!!!!
SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON HAND AT HATCH:
In addition to the incubator and brooder:
Electrolyte powder / solution (I use SAVE-A-CHICK) for dehydrated or weak chicks
Vitamin supplements (SAVE-A-CHICK or some avian vitamins) for adding to all chicks water for the first week
Styptic pencil or powder (powder is best.. but a pencil will work) for treating any bleeding or bloody navels
Bandaids or Vetwrap or "ouchless bandage" for wobbly chicks to make leg hobbles
Betadine solution or iodine for treating open navels
Cotton swabs for applying the betadine or iodine to the navels
Soft towels and shelf liner I use shelf liner in the bottom of the incubator and soft towels for the brooder to help prevent splayed legs. Normally I would use shelf liner for both. But for emu chicks they do better with a towel in their brooder to give extra support for leg development. The towels can be replaced with bedding once the emu chicks are up and moving about well in a few days after hatch.
I will add in info on feeding new emu chicks later on.
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
January 16th 2013:
I just received 4 emu eggs from Heston, Kansas this morning. Expecting 4 more within the next few days from California!
here are the first 4 (got a 100% hatch rate on these guys)!
EGG A: Laid January 10. weight 532 grams
Seller's code "A"
EGG B: Laid January 11. Weight 621 grams
Seller's Code "J"
EGG C: Laid January 13. Weight 659 grams
Seller's code "C2"
EGG D: Laid January 13. Weight 707 grams
Seller's Code "G"
The seller wrote her own code on each egg before shipment.. so later on if I get more eggs from her she will be able to send me eggs that are unrelated to my current birds.
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
The second four: January 22, 2013
These are from Royal Oaks, California. They were lost for several days in the mail and when they arrived one was broken (another had a small chip taken out of the outer layer of the shell). I went ahead and patched the two eggs with issues (I used Oxine and candle wax). The broken egg is liable to end up rotten.. but I suppose time will tell.
EGG E: pale egg .. will be closely monitored. Many people can not get these to hatch because the shell is missing the outer layers. But i am always up for a challenge. WEIGHT: 709 grams
EGG F: Weight 439 grams
EGG G: WEIGHT 528 grams
EGG H: (broken egg) WEIGHT 465 grams (you can see the edge of the patch at the bottom end of the egg)
January 25, 2013
Two more eggs from California
EGG I: WEIGHT 446 grams (I need to get a better pic of it)
EGG J: WEIGHT 602 grams
(J is the replacement egg for the broken one, H)
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
Heston Kansas eggs:
EGG A Banded Green
January 16 532 g (target weight loss 79.8 g with goal weight of 452.2 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 10.16 grams
January 23 (day 7) 522 g (10 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 513 g (9 g lost from last weigh in.. 19 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 504 9 (9 g lost from last weigh in ..28 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 495 g (9 g lost from last weigh in ..37 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 486 g (9 g lost from last weigh in.. 46 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 476 (10 g lost from last weigh in... 56 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 464 (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 68 g total)
Hatched March 11, 2013 (54 days)
weight at hatch (after drying) 350 grams
EGG B Banded Blue
January 16 621 g (target weight loss 93.15 g with goal weight of 527.85 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 11.9 grams
January 23 (day 7) 608 g (13 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 597 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 24 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 585 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 36 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 574 g (11 g lost from last weigh in ..47 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 562 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 59 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 548 g (14 g lost from last weigh in... 73 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 533 g (15 g lost from last weigh in.. 88 g total)
March 7 (day 50) chick started whistling at me
March 10 (day 53) 523 g (10 g lost since last weigh in... 98 g total .. weighed after cracked open)
Egg B top row center in picture below:
Hatched March 10, 2013 (53 days)
weight at hatch (after drying): 405 grams
EGG C Banded Yellow
January 16 659 g (target weight loss 98.85 g with goal weight of 560.15 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 12.6 grams
January 23 (day 7) 648 g (11 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 638 g (10 g lost from last weigh in.. 21 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 627 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 32 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 616 g (11 g lost from last weigh in ..43 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 605 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 54 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 593 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 66 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 578 g (15 g lost from last weigh in.. 81 g total)
Hatched March 12, 2013 (55 days)
weight at hatch (after drying) 539 grams
chick C in front.. chick D hatching:
EGG D
January 16 707 g (target weight loss 106.05 g with goal weight of 600.95 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 13.5 grams
January 23 (day 7) 690 g (17 g lost from last weigh in)
January 30 (day 14) 677 g (13 g lost from last weigh in.. 30 g total)
February 6 (day 21) 663 g (14 g lost from last weigh in.. 44 g total)
February 13 (day 28) 649 g (14 g lost from last weigh in ..58 g total)
February 20 (day 35) 634 g (15 g lost from last weigh in... 73 g total)
February 24 (day 39) start tap testing
February 27 (day 42) 619 g (15 g lost from last weigh in... 88 g total)
March 6 (day 49) 600 g (19 g lost from last weigh in.. 107 g total)
Hatched March 12, 2013 (55 days)
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
Royal Oaks California eggs:
first shipment:
EGG E
January 22 709 g (target weight loss 106.35 g with goal weight of 602.65 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 13.5 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 695 g (14 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 688 (7 g lost from last weigh in.. 21 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 678 g (10 g lost from last weigh in ..31 g total)
February 19 (day 28) 667 g (11 g lost from last weigh in...42 g total)
February 26 (day 35) 656 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 53 g total)
March 2 (day 39) start tap testing
March 5 (day 42) 644 g (12 g lost from last weigh in...65 g total)
March 12 (day 49) 631 g (13 g lost from last weigh in.. 78 g total)
March 19 (day 56)
EGG F
January 22 439 g (target weight loss 65.85 g with goal weight of 373.15 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 8.4 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 427 g (12 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 420 (7 g lost from last weigh in.. 19 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 411 (9 g lost from last weigh in ..28 g total)
February 19 (day 28) 402 (9 g lost from last weigh in... 37 g total)
February 26 (day 35) 393 g (9 g lost from last weigh in.. 46 g total)
March 2 (day 39) start tap testing
March 5 (day 42) 381 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 58 g total)
March 12 (day 49) 369 g (12 g lost from last weigh in... 70 g total)
March 19 (day 56)
EGG G
January 22 528 g (target weight loss 79.2 g with goal weight of 448.8 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 10 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 517 g (11 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 510 (7 g lost from last weigh in.. 18 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 500 g (10 g lost from last weigh in ..28 g total)
February 19 (day 28) 491 g (9 g lost from last weigh in ... 37 g total)
February 26 (day 35) 481 g (10 g lost from last weigh in... 47 g total)
March 2 (day 39) start tap testing
March 5 (day 42) 469 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 59 g total)
March 12 (day 49) 456 g (13 g lost from last weigh in..72 g total)
March 19 (day 56)
EGG H
January 22 465 g (target weight loss 69.75 g with goal weight of 395.25 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 8.9 grams
January 31 (should have been January 29th) 446 g (19 g lost from last weigh in)
February 5 (day 14) 436 (10 g lost from last weigh in.. 29 g total)
February 12 (day 21) 423 g (13 g lost from last weigh in ..42 g total)
February 17 removed from incubator. Very rotten. This was the egg that arrived broken and was also lost in transit for several days (along with Eggs E, F & G).. so they all could be rotten.. time will tell.
second & third shipments:
EGG I
January 25 446 g (target weight loss 66.9 g with goal weight of 379.1 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 8.5 grams
February 1 (day 7) 435 g (11 g lost from last weigh in)
February 8 (day 14) 425 g (10 g lost from last weigh in.. 21 g total)
February 15 (day 21) 415 g (10 g lost from last weigh in ... 31 g total)
February 22 (day 28) 405 g (10 g lost from last weigh in... 41 g total)
March 1 (day 35) 394 g (11 g lost from last weigh in.. 52 g total)
March 5 (day 39) start tap testing
March 8 (day 42) 382 g (12 g lost from last weigh in.. 64 g total)
March 15 (day 49) 370 g (12 g lost from last weigh in...76 g total)
March 22 (day 56)
EGG J
January 25 602 g (target weight loss 90.3 g with goal weight of 511.7 g) expected approximate weight loss per week of 11.5 grams
February 1 (day 7) 589 g (13 g lost from last weigh in)
February 8 (day 14) 575 g (14 g lost from last weigh in... 27 g total)
February 15 (day 21) 562 g (13 g lost from last weigh in... 40 g total)
February 22 (day 28) 548 g (14 g lost from last weigh in.. 54 g total)
March 1 (day 35) 535 g (13 g lost from last weigh in... 67 g total)
March 5 (day 39) start tap testing
March 8 (day 42) 518 g (17 g lost from last weigh in.. 84 g total)
March 15 (day 49) 503 g (15 g lost from last weigh in... 99 g total)
March 17 (day 51) 494 g (weighed after cracked open)
Hatched March 17, 2013 (51 days)
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
* ~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~ *
