Can you run emu in barbed wire fences?

[GuineaFowlKepper]

If emus are frightened, they can charge right trough a barbrd wire fence, lacerating their neck and keel. Use a horse type fence, but make it 6 feet tall. When they get going, they can jump a 5 ft. fence. At our zoo, we use a 6ft. tall chainlink fence.

 

[emuwally]

hi, my name is Wally Caviness from Bellingam, Washington.

I raise Emu for over 15 years, invented the Egg Wt. Loss Chart, wrote over 40 Articles on Emu, Ostrich and Rhea.

I have spoken in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, Atlanta, Georgia,
Denver, Co. Spokane, Wa. and several places in Texas,

You NEVER EVER use barb wire for fencing for Ratite's.

As someone mentioned, Emu are fence walkers (if you have a small pen).

They are very, very curious and they explore their pens constandly.

If they see something on the outside of the fence, they are going to put their heads through the wire.

Even hog and field fence at the ends can be dangerous. My step-son made a eight foot high fence (two rolls of four feet), he carelessly did not clip the ends of the wire off.

The emu put its neck through the wire and when he brought his head back, the exposed wire end went right through his neck and ripped into his juggler vein.

I hope I answered your question, CAN YOU RUN EMU IN BARBED WIRE PENS"?

 

[ChanceRider]

Quote:
Wally, thanks for weighing in on the subject of barbed wire for emus. It sounds like you've got quite a bit of knowledge about ratites. I've been lucky that my birds are "easy keepers" and, so far anyway, have stayed out of trouble!

 

[matt4emu]

NO on barbwire!!! I have never had an emu escape..... I have 6' field fence. I have friends who use cyclone (i'm too cheap) that works as well.

 

[Calla]

The thought of........barbed wire scares me
Definatley not..... not for any Animals....just imagine what it could do to this lovely Emu or Rheas at speed or just for curiosity to get to what's on the other side, it's always greener there lol. All my fences are 2 x 2 " heavy duty weldmesh 6ft high.

You try to run into barbed wire at full speed......next ......you'll be in Dr. Surgery.

Calla

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Perhaps . . .

The bottom line just might be that, when emus do bolt in fear, they just run in a straight line. They will thump into any fence that is in front of them. So, if there is any sort of barb or spike in an emu’s environment, it can hit it.

You see this in the wild birds, guys: they manage fantastic manoeuvres when evading each other in skirmishes, but they quite lose their heads when startled. (They do at times show discipline when crossing fences well out in the open, even if they are alarmed.)

Supreme Emu

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Here’s an anecdote from observing: there were four birds down on the swamp paddock. Fine day. I’m observing them from five or six hundred yards. They’re on a pasture six hundred yards square. There’s a long line of fence across the paddock, but with panels missing down one end.

One of the birds, as the flockette was grazing along, got ‘scraped off’ on the other side of the fence. For hundreds of yards, this bird didn’t understand that it had got itself fenced off from its fellows.

Took the bird about a half an hour to rejoin the others, and he reached an anxious trot a number of times as he relentlessly doubled back and forth along the fence.

Most all of the dramas I have around the house here are birds getting themselves trapped because they want to move in a straight line to their fellows.

S.E.

 

[Calla]

I had my say about disapproval of barbed wire earlier .......
I saw an add this year...national site to sell Lifestock in UK and everything else...Lady was looking for Emu adult male, as her girl is lonely since her mate died...I asked how it happened......



Here is her sad story.....
I have been really upset about loosing my boy. I went up in the morning to feed him as usual and found only the female in their paddock. I thought he must have got out and searched the corn field for him, but found him lying in the next paddock by the fence. He was off his feet and had a huge graze on his hip bone, most worrying he had blood coming from his mouth which suggested internal injury. We made him as comfortable as we could but late afternoon he passed away. I don't suppose we will know for definate what went on, but my theory is that the fox which has been pestering our chickens lately entered there paddock and that my emu has gone to chase the fox jumped the 6ft fence injuring his legs and then collapsed and couldnt get back up. I dont know about your emus but mine hate foxes and unfamiliar dogs....
My emu would kill them, like wild rabbits which roam about from neighbours side...found one this morning, just boundary by my 2 young Emus...quite tame lol must have escaped, but not for long.. had also Myxomatosis...then rang him, he said yes .... found a few lately...and breeds also Rats lol and come over to me at night....



Calla



Springtime in Emu field...found this....not a happy Bunny.






and last week in half the young Emu house....3 flattened rats
no chance stealing food from them lol.


My Babies got a big treat for this lol