basic emu questions

[cowman910]

first of all what do they eat and will i be able to buy food on long island? second, how much room do they need/terain types? Third, does any one know anyone who sells emu eggs?
thanks! mike

 

[ChanceRider]

My birds eat a commercially prepared Emu Chow. There are usually several types available... growth, breeder, maintenance, all purpose, etc. I usually keep my birds on maintenance and they are healthy and active birds.

As to food on Long Island, I'd just suggest that you call around. You might have to ask for "ratite" food... I have to be very specific with a couple of our local feed stores. Some emus will enjoy treats of fruits or veggies, my goofballs ignore any type of treat and eat only their chow.

Many people successfully free range emus... I don't, only because we have numerous predators, mountain lions, coyotes, etc. Coyotes hunt in packs; I have a few friends who have lost emus to coyotes. My mating pair are in a run that's about 100' by 50'. They have a great 8' x 8' coop that they completely ignore. Rather than use their run in shed/coop for their nest, they build it every year at the far end of their run, under a large cedar tree. Even in heavy rain or snow, they're out in the open. They DO love a shallow kids pool or good mud puddle to wallow around in when it's hot. The entertainment factor skyrockets during our first rains of the season.... they run, jump and literally dance around in the rain. I often spray them with a garden hose.

This year, even with the poor economy, I had a waiting list for emu chicks. Unless people actually process and eat the emus, I figure they're just novelty pets. I thought I'd have trouble selling the month old chicks out, but I was pleasantly surprised. Next year I've decided to gather their eggs to either incubate or sell. I've always let my male, Enoch, gather his clutch of eggs and sit his nest. My female lays about 1 egg every 3 days, usually beginning in November, and stops around December when the male sits on "his" eggs.

My emus are about the easiest to care for of all my critters. Plus, there's just something about a bird that's tall enough to look you in the eye and looks like it just stepped out of Jurassic Park!

 

[dlhunicorn]

I have some articles you might be interested in looking through:
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=nutrition&action=display&num=1175448018