Emu Chick Acting Strange

[Kiril749]

Well I figured I'm going to have our two emu in a community pen with other burds so why not bring them up together. Also, a huge benefit is geese instinctively eat and drink pretty much right away, so they taught my emu chicks right off the bat. We didn't have to coax them one bit.......

 

[jo59]

our 3 day old emu chick vomited orange goo what could it be? what should we do for it

 

[briefvisit]

While we are getting answers on the neck - I also have a question:


My oldest chick is going around and picking at the eyes of the other chicks - I remember seeing this issue on another thread -

My question - is this normal behavior and if so, do I need to start separating the more aggressive chicks?

My oldest is only 4 days older, but with Emu's that seems like a big age difference.

Wait for answers from folks with pet (captive) chicks, Grassman. Emus have surprisingly different personalities. In the wild, chicks can easily avoid one another. That is, I suspect that non-limitless spaces might exacerbate bullying. Adults -- and chicks from the black-head stage -- squabble endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly.

Separate them. And 'visual barriers' like trees and shrubs and even bales of hay allow birds to live with less friction -- less 'line of sight' contact.

And please bear in mind that unless you're fairly good with emu body language, you mightn't see that the birds down the pecking order, if unable to flee, live lives of constant fear and distress. If there backed up against fences, sitting on their belly in front of a vocalising bird, constantly seeing the far corner of the paddock, they're miserable.

Here's 'Greedy.' (Not seen for nearly three years. May be dead. Her sister 'Felicity' is here today.) Check her eyes. She's a rare 'double alpha': would attack a skyscraper, and likely win:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641934/lightbox/post/9443501/id/5253287