4 month old emu pecking the others?

[SERanch]

It all started with one. The beak was bleeding one day so I separated him from the other two. Now in the pen with the two emus one’s eyes have red scrapes around the lid. I have never witnessed this behavior though. When I separate them they panic up and down the fence line humming. They are only a few months old and raised together since hatch. The bigger of the three is unmarked and I’m guessing more dominant but how do I get them to coexist? I’m at a loss for what I’m doing wrong. Should I just go ahead and turn them out into a pasture with acreage? Thank you

 

[briefvisit]

Hey, SER! I am tame-wild-emu guy. IMHO:

animosity among siblings usually kicks off big time at around 14-16 months, after they have stopped cheeping, and just as they begin adult vocalisations. Before that, although there may be an occasional spat, clutches are characterised by sticking together.

And: 'Should I just go ahead and turn them out into a pasture with acreage?'

Space solves a lot of emu problems. I think I annoy some readers here with this statement.

Emus are not domestic birds. So, indeed, by pet standards, your enclosures are sufficient. However, perhaps the primary rule of emu life is: run away -- and I mean hundreds of yards, or a quarter mile, or just leave the district!

That is, SER, any piddling little friction that would go unnoticed in the wild can become a fight for life if the weaker bird just can't evade the stronger.


This is Tooshtoosh with his five chicks. One has drifted down to the fig tree, but you can see how 'clingey' the other four are. (They are about eight months in this photo.)

Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, Western Australia

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/WEhJ2jw

 

[briefvisit]

Same chicks at a younger age. Again, you can see that natural clingey-ness:

https://imgur.com/BzJ5a6V