2026 Emu Hatch-Along

[Strawberry74]

So what's the local guy planning to with fourteen Emu's?

He has people who have contacted him wanting emu chicks. They're are about 16 on a waitlist so we are hoping to have a good hatch between the two batches this year.

 

[Strawberry74]

Hey guys, so I’m loving reading up on everything and seeing everyone’s journeys. We’ve always had loads of animals and hatched lots of things, recently I randomly bought 2 emu eggs and decided to try hatching….
I’m using a homemade last minute incubator but temps have been steady around 36.5 and humidity around 30%.
We are on day 51, one egg started oozing about a week ago so was removed and opened (no growth at all), weight loss for one left has been consistent and normal, currently at 12.3% with 13% due to hit around day 53-54 if current trend continues. Start weight 682g, today 598g. In the last few days these white lines have started appearing but I can’t find much information online, my gut feeling is stress from chick repositioning inside to pip internally? The lines look like chalk but are not chalky, totally dry and smooth (not cracks). If anyone could put my mind at ease I’d appreciate it!

We also have 3 eggs coming soon from same female, they live about 30 mins from us so no shipping etc.

I have no clue. I've never experienced that happen. Sorry I am not more help.

 

[Strawberry74]

You’re welcome.

I only check mine now because I heard one peeping one day, I was extremely excited for it to hatch. First or second one from my female from about 6 years ago. I heard it the next day. Kept waiting. Then its peeps started to get frantic. Then they started to fade and were ever so faintly quiet. I just waited for it to hatch… the next day, no peeps. Got worried and checked the egg with a small hole. It died almost like it was crying out for help. Perfectly developed chick with yolk absorbed.

There’s my reasoning lol

Chickens, turkeys, ducks, I don’t assist. Emus I feel like they’re a bit more precious and harder to hatch and acquire.

All just personal decisions. I respect everyone’s.

I experienced something like this. The egg was wiggling up a storm. They other two had hatched and yet this egg kept wiggling away. It never peeped. Over the next day or so the wiggles got smaller and smaller and I felt helpless and so sad. I should have intervened, but I knew it may be malpositioned and didn't know where I Should start looking for it to try and pip. In hindsight I should have just opened the air cell and started there. Maybe it would have lived, maybe not but it would have had a chance at least. It was a pretty blonde baby.

In the next hatch I had a similar situation and I was determined not to watch another chick die right before my eyes so I did intervene. The baby would not have hatched without my assistance and was in pretty rough shape. He had a hernia that I was successful in putting back into place. His neck muscles were too weak to hold his head up so likely why he couldn't hatch and he struggled to walk. That baby lived a little over a week and during that time made some huge strides with vitamins and a little hobble. He was able to gain control of his neck and take quite a few steps, almost run! He got to hang out with his hatch mates, experience fresh air and sunshine and lots of cuddles from me. I named him my little Miracle. It was sad when he passed but he knew love. Maybe I should not have helped, but I did and I was OK with that.

 

[Strawberry74]

@ShannonsChimkens how are you liking the pop up brooder?

 

[Mrsshetland]

Ok so I just knew it was a dud although discounting the lack of noise/wiggles everything else was bang on, it even seemed to of levelled out last few days. Opened it up (small hole at air cell first then the smell gave it away). Completely rotten with 0 sign of any development which is nicer than a dead chick but yeah. Will try again! I can only assuming the white lines were from the pressure of the gases inside.