Emily the Emu.. Looking for suggestions...Update: Bad Bad News.. =(

[birdygirl123]

Chris!, Thanks so much for the grape trick.

I tried to feed her some grapes lastnight, and she didn't want them. She was more interested in the other feed we got. I guess each is different. That IS a Genius way of doing it!.. Thanks so much for the tip!!

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[birdygirl123]

Okay, so I can't figure out how to put the video right here, but here is a link

 

[birdygirl123]

If you listen, the mini mule is greeting her..

 

[chickenzoo]

If she makes a booming vibrating noise like car bass, then it is a female for sure. they often will walk sideways, swaying their chest feathers and boom. Males make a grunting type sound, sounds like a weed wacker that won't start. they both make various hiss type noises that have many different meanings, from Hi to you're scaring me...... the longer you have her, you will learn what it means. Safest place to stand is behind an emu. When moving them where they don't want to go, often requires you to stand behind them, a wing in each hand, walking with them and guiding them..... not always easy. If you hold something shiny in front of them they often follow as well. When giving shots I walk up and pet them while they are in a cornor etc.... Pat them on the upper leg till they relax or lay down and give the shot. Most of mine will take the wormer right out of the syringe. they are curious creatures with short memories, and often forget they didn't like it the first time. Most of the time I'm trying to keep only one emu at a time eating it, as they all join in... LOL

I like to think of emu like a cross between a horse and a chicken. If your took your most curious chicken , and it was as big as a person, with the flight instinct of a horse - that's an emu.

 

[shelleyd2008]

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If the wormer is liquid couldn't you just soak some raisins in it?

 

[birdygirl123]

Oh goodness, now Im all confused... She doesn't do any of the swaying or walking sideways.. but this could be because of her leg. She does make a growling sound, almost sounds like that of a dog.. She does boom when I talk to her, or if she sees the kids. like a greeting. She will move away if she is scared.. and I have noticed that when she is really nervous she will open her mouth. .. I havent heard her hiss.. Maybe she is a he?.. gosh I wish I knew.. hmm

Now, question: Will they worn with body language before kicking forward? Meaning, their necks would need to be fully up, and their body weight back? Now, I know the lady said she had read that they do cow kick. I watched a crazy youtube video of a guy being chased.. that was crazy.. Usually Emily has her neck half way.. when you are with her, .. its fully up if she is looking over the shelter..

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[chickenzoo]

Most of the time they will only kick out if grabbed and held from walking forward or their leg being grabbed, or grabbing and holding the neck etc... etc... I have not known any of mine to just kick out for no reason or to be aggressive in any way when not afraid.

The female booming noise is a very vibrating type noise, they don't do it all the time, but only females will make it. It sounds like they have a vibrating bag in their lower neck/chest that they inflate and vibrate/boom. Females also tend to have much longer legs, but w/o another to compare....... hehe

I also use Safeguard horse paste. I don't hide it in anything because mostly they are not like horses or dogs when it comes to wormer... they normally will love to take a grab at anything... once. Then they typically forget about it being yucky and try again.... out of my 5 adults only the female remembers she doesn't care for it.

They are pretty easy to care for, don't require a lot and are just comical. Once she gets to know you and her surroundings you will see her personality come out.

 

[birdygirl123]

Heres another video of her.. Maybe you can tell more?

you can really see her limp.

Here is another with my daughter..

I have some safeguard here.. I'll try that in a bit!..

 

[Supreme Emu]

Birdygirl,

four feet by twenty four? Well, one must have the courage of one's convictions: I think that's cruel. Full stop.

I guessed she was a fence-walker, but I'd thought I'd ask.

The Male? Female? Thing has interested me greatly. It was two years before I figured out that Felicity the Male Emu (He had such lovely eyelashes as a chick) was actually female. Linguists note that the representation of animal noises is a peculiarly language-specific thing. (Dogs go 'woof woof' in English, but 'gong gong' in Indonesian.) However, there's no mistaking the noises when you've heard them all: the females hunker down, and produce a 'fumph' – or 'boom,' depending on what language you speak – that can be heard for a mile on a still night, and easily distinguished from the males' grunt.

The fun, Birdygirl, is to patiently observe. As time passes, you realise, 'Ahh . . . so that's something something something!!' I've been watching the tame and wild birds at my farmhouse on a daily basis for three years, and I learn something new every week.

(My great joy is the occasion on which a thoroughly comfortable emu will kneel, then sit on its belly, then lay its neck on the ground, then keel over in the sunshine like a puppy baring its belly, and lie with one leg sticking up in the air. In three years, I've only seen this three times. THAT's a happy emu.)

Supreme Emu

 

[Supreme Emu]

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