Behaviour of your mature hand raised emu pairs

[Vampstorso]

Yes I agree, they are beautiful but with an already reduced gene pool in a foreign country further intentional inbreeding through line breeding seems risky.
Perhaps why the above poster hasn't paired two blondes/whites.


The fact this section is full of chicks needing to be euthanised due to leg or other seemingly generic issues makes me nervous.
I do hope the fact mine will be from a diverse gene pool being native and from a responsible source will reduce the odds of such an occurrence along with correct diet and significant Excercise and sunlight.

I will be sure to post updates as I get them and they grow.

 

[Kalifornsky]

Your emus are beautiful. I've never seen the white phase emu before, isn't that beautiful!
Were your chick's parent hatched or artificially incubated?

Thank you! I'm pretty sure Sterling and Denali were artificially incubated.
Aly here is a full white-

So to differentiate we call Denali a blonde. Maybe the ideal match was Aly/Denali to pass on the blonde gene, but I've never heard of the prevalence of the splayed leg issue. Aly was definitely the weakest growing up- there was a point where we thought she might not make it. It might be a good thing then that Aly/Denali didn't pair up, since they came from the same breeder and the blonde gene must be specifically inbred.

I'm happy to report the younger emus are all buddies now (x4). They're maybe two months apart in age. I've heard emus are social animals so it's best that they are raised in pairs anyway.

Best of luck when your babies hatch!

 

[briefvisit]

http://www.emuoilonline.net/divineemus.html

 

[sseabass]

Hello Vampstorso,

My family is raising emus and we currently have 5 adult emus on the property, along with 2 adolescents and 3 chicks. The chicks are all from a first-time breeding pair named Sterling(F) and Denali(M), who have been surprisingly faithful to each other in the year they've been together.

The property itself is 2 acres, with another 2 acres sectioned off. Along the lines of what briefvisit was saying, the ability for the emus to avoid line of sight helps make it possible for all the adults to be on one side. Two will be in the front of the property while the others in the back, and vice versa. Even though the adults were all raised together as chicks, they have formed a pecking order and will chase each other around. Sterling and Denali are the dominant pair, but it is possible for the pecking order to have subtleties. For example, Sterling doesn't mind Nuka being around, but Denali will chase her off. I have seen emu farms where they are all kept together, so I can't speak to that.

As for temperament, four of the adults can be handled and are very friendly while one remains shy. Even during breeding season, Sterling remained friendly and I could look under Denali for eggs without fear of getting kicked. It might depend from bird to bird, but the flock are gentle to humans and not so gentle to each other.

As for raising a pair of emu chicks: right now I'm inclined to say they will remain buddies, as right now the two adolescents form a pair along with a pair of 2 month old chicks. They stick together and even call for each other when separated. It helps that the pairs are the same age and were raised together, but you never know what hormones will do to them. I'll have to keep an eye on that!

I can try to answer any specific questions you may have if you need more help! This is the first time my family have hatched emu eggs from a pair that we've raised. It's really neat to see the growth cycle come full circle.

Sterling & Denali

 

[sseabass]

Thank you! I'm pretty sure Sterling and Denali were artificially incubated.
Aly here is a full white-
View attachment 1093974
So to differentiate we call Denali a blonde. Maybe the ideal match was Aly/Denali to pass on the blonde gene, but I've never heard of the prevalence of the splayed leg issue. Aly was definitely the weakest growing up- there was a point where we thought she might not make it. It might be a good thing then that Aly/Denali didn't pair up, since they came from the same breeder and the blonde gene must be specifically inbred.

I'm happy to report the younger emus are all buddies now (x4). They're maybe two months apart in age. I've heard emus are social animals so it's best that they are raised in pairs anyway.

Best of luck when your babies hatch!

Hello Kalifornsky. I just saw this post of yours and I noticed how healthy your Emus look. Would you mind sharing your feed program?
Thanks, sseabass from Montana