Emu Egg Hatch-along

[Love Donkeys]

Those eggs are really cool looking. Wish chicken eggs came colored like that!

 

[MGG]

Those eggs are really cool looking. Wish chicken eggs came colored like that!

They sure are! They're so different and unique. That would be pretty fun!

 

[KHiggz]

I've got a long wait ahead, but thought it would be fun to start a thread to document things and hopefully get help if I have any questions. Everyone is welcome, but I'll add some tags at the end too. I'd greatly appreciate anyone that has hatched emus successfully to follow along too.

Back story : I went to the east coast the past couple weeks which was super fun, I've never been on that side of the country before. The first part of the trip I went to Cape Cod with my dad and hunted sea ducks. Our guide had a pair of emus that had just started laying for the year, and gave me two eggs. It was a bit tricky having them the rest of the trip since we also went to Connecticut and then to New York a couple times. These poor eggs have been all over the place.
I did my best to store them properly, I managed to keep them in the low 60s and turned them a few times a day. We finally flew back yesterday, and got them through security which was pretty funny. All of the TSA workers were quite amused. It'll probably be a miracle if either hatch and I don't even know that they're fertile, but I'm going to give it a go. I've never hatched emus, but I've hatched just about everything else.
I've read a few of the articles on here by @Pyxis and @yinepu , and decided to start incubation at 96.5 and 35% humidity. They were set last night at 7 P. M., and weighed in at 308 grams for egg #1 and 329 grams for egg #2. If my calculations are correct, egg #1 should lose a total of 47 grams for an end weight of 261 grams, losing approximately 6.33 grams per week and 0.9 per day. Egg #2 should lose a total of 49 grams for an end weight of 280 grams, losing approximately 6.60 grams per week and 0.94 per day.
I managed to fit them in my NR 360, by taking out the egg tray and sitting them right on the water channels. (not obviously filling that channel) I'm hoping this is OK, it seems fine to me and I think there's plenty of air flow around them. If this is a bad idea for some reason I haven't though of please let me know, haha. I have two big styrofoam incubators I can use as hatchers if the time comes, but I kind of hate them and really don't want to mess with keeping them stable the whole time. If they can stay in the NR 360 this way that would definitely be best. I have the vent all the way open and am turning them 5 times a day.

Incubation period at 96.5 degrees should be 52-54 days, with a due date of March 9th-11th.
Wish me luck!

Egg #1 View attachment 4029958

Egg #2 View attachment 4029957


View attachment 4029959View attachment 4029956


@Pyxis @Kiki @EverythingDucks @TheOddOneOut @EmmaRainboe @OneHappyDuckie

I’ve raised many emus after hatching but all from poppa incubating. Definitely tough not being able to candle but I wish you luck and if you have any questions after a successful hatch I’m happy to help! Good luck!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I weighed them today, I should have yesterday because it would have been one week but we were gone late.
So today is 8 days, egg #2 is spot on with weight loss but egg #1 is going a little fast. Not sure what to do about that? I don't want to compromise #2 by raising humidity more. I've been running more at 40% already too. View attachment 4035492

Switch places in the incubator? Maybe since the eggs are so big one is getting more humidity.

 

[MGG]

Switch places in the incubator? Maybe since the eggs are so big one is getting more humidity.

That's exactly what I was thinking so I did that. I've also been filling the channel underneath it just a bit on that side too. Tomorrow is two weeks so we'll see how it's doing. I'll report back with weights. Can't believe how quick two weeks flew by!

 

[Strawberry74]

Good luck with your hatch! Hopefully both hatch for you. Emu babies are so sweet and fun to raise. I currently have eight remaining in the incubator out of 10. Of the first six I set, three are certainly wiggling at day 35 or so one is questionable, but doubtful and I've taken two out as they started to stink. I also have four others that I set later so they're not at the wiggling stage.

 

[MGG]

Good luck with your hatch! Hopefully both hatch for you. Emu babies are so sweet and fun to raise. I currently have eight remaining in the incubator out of 10. Of the first six I set, three are certainly wiggling at day 35 or so one is questionable, but doubtful and I've taken two out as they started to stink. I also have four others that I set later so they're not at the wiggling stage.

Thank you!!! I hope so too. I'm going crazy waiting. What temp and humidity do you do? I've had it at 96.2 - 96.8 pretty much the whole time. Seems to be a safe range at least? But I've seen some run at 95-ish. What days are your younger ones on? I'd love if you'd post updates too so I know what to expect! It would be fun if they're around the same stage. Mine are on day 13 today. Do you have any wiggling videos? It's driving me nuts not knowing anything.
Also, do you do blood samples for sexing? Who do you have do that? Do you actually have any of your own emus or are you still hatching them for somebody?
Thanks for the post, it's so nice to have people with experience to talk to.

 

[Strawberry74]

Thank you!!! I hope so too. I'm going crazy waiting. What temp and humidity do you do? I've had it at 96.2 - 96.8 pretty much the whole time. Seems to be a safe range at least? But I've seen some run at 95-ish. What days are your younger ones on? I'd love if you'd post updates too so I know what to expect! It would be fun if they're around the same stage. Mine are on day 13 today. Do you have any wiggling videos? It's driving me nuts not knowing anything.
Also, do you do blood samples for sexing? Who do you have do that? Do you actually have any of your own emus or are you still hatching them for somebody?
Thanks for the post, it's so nice to have people with experience to talk to.

The waiting... yes! I am using 2 incubators at the moment. I hatched out of both last year. I try and keep between 96 and 97.5. They fluctuate throughout the day by a few points here and there though. Even different spots of the incubator register differently based on how the fan is blowing and if the heaters on. I just make sure that every time I hand turn I move them to a different spot in the incubator. I try to keep the humidity between 20 and 30.

I have videos but I don't have a way to post them here. You can search YouTube and find plenty of wiggling emu egg videos though. My second batch is on day 20 so a little ahead of yours. I already know one is no good and will be taking it out. Two of the other three have a pretty good lean to them already which isn't necessarily 100% but it's a good indicator at this point in my opinion.

I used the eggshell membrane for DNA testing and I send IQ bird testing in Florida within the first couple days after hatch and the membranes have dried out. After hatch you can just pull the membrane apart from the egg and let it dry.

Last year I hatched for someone else and was going to keep a couple but I wanted two males and all but one turned out to be female in that hatch of seven. What are the odds the only time you want males and you can't get any! I'm not sure who I will keep this year, maybe none but I enjoy the experience and we shall see.

My wiggling eggs are the highlight of my day right now. I know that sounds lame but it's so cool to set them out and talk or whistle to them for a few minutes and watch them wiggle and move in response.

 

[MGG]

The waiting... yes! I am using 2 incubators at the moment. I hatched out of both last year. I try and keep between 96 and 97.5. They fluctuate throughout the day by a few points here and there though. Even different spots of the incubator register differently based on how the fan is blowing and if the heaters on. I just make sure that every time I hand turn I move them to a different spot in the incubator. I try to keep the humidity between 20 and 30.

I have videos but I don't have a way to post them here. You can search YouTube and find plenty of wiggling emu egg videos though. My second batch is on day 20 so a little ahead of yours. I already know one is no good and will be taking it out. Two of the other three have a pretty good lean to them already which isn't necessarily 100% but it's a good indicator at this point in my opinion.

I used the eggshell membrane for DNA testing and I send IQ bird testing in Florida within the first couple days after hatch and the membranes have dried out. After hatch you can just pull the membrane apart from the egg and let it dry.

Last year I hatched for someone else and was going to keep a couple but I wanted two males and all but one turned out to be female in that hatch of seven. What are the odds the only time you want males and you can't get any! I'm not sure who I will keep this year, maybe none but I enjoy the experience and we shall see.

My wiggling eggs are the highlight of my day right now. I know that sounds lame but it's so cool to set them out and talk or whistle to them for a few minutes and watch them wiggle and move in response.
View attachment 4039054

What kind of incubators are they? OK, so I should be pretty good then hopefully with temp. I rotate them between the two spots, it's already a tight fit though so I don't have much wiggle room.
Oh woe your humidity is a lot lower than mine. I'm running mid 40s right now mostly. I'll see how weights look today but they were pretty good the first week. I would normally watch air cells but these dang thick eggs, ugh! Lol

How do you know it's no good? Stinky? I took some pictures now to reference for lean later. I don't know which end is the air cell end on the fat egg. It tilts really weird.
Haha! If either hatch I'll probably keep them regardless. I have heard the males are nicer though too.

That's cool, I'll definitely do that if they hatch. I vent sex my ducks and geese but other birds are tricky. What does it run to get that done?

I totally get it, that sounds super fun to watch. Do you check them for wiggles every day to make sure they're still alive? I'm one of those people that candles like every day so this is so hard


Oh gosh, too cute!!! Thanks so much for sharing that pic!

 

[Strawberry74]

What kind of incubators are they? OK, so I should be pretty good then hopefully with temp. I rotate them between the two spots, it's already a tight fit though so I don't have much wiggle room.
Oh woe your humidity is a lot lower than mine. I'm running mid 40s right now mostly. I'll see how weights look today but they were pretty good the first week. I would normally watch air cells but these dang thick eggs, ugh! Lol

How do you know it's no good? Stinky? I took some pictures now to reference for lean later. I don't know which end is the air cell end on the fat egg. It tilts really weird.
Haha! If either hatch I'll probably keep them regardless. I have heard the males are nicer though too.

That's cool, I'll definitely do that if they hatch. I vent sex my ducks and geese but other birds are tricky. What does it run to get that done?

I totally get it, that sounds super fun to watch. Do you check them for wiggles every day to make sure they're still alive? I'm one of those people that candles like every day so this is so hard


Oh gosh, too cute!!! Thanks so much for sharing that pic!

I have a Nuture Right with an extender I bought to make it taller and an air circulating styrofoam one. I have read it's better to go lower on humidity than too high. I do shoot for 30 if I can keep it there.

Yes, the egg was stinky. My dog detected it one morning before I even opened the incubator she was over there sniffing around the area and when I opened it I could tell what she was sniffing at! Rule of thumb never remove an egg until it stinks or it's well past due. Obviously, with other eggs you can see when one quits or never developed.

Until they start leaning, it's hard to tell where the air cell side is. They're often very uniformly shaped and don't have an obvious flat side.

If you don't get a hatch and I get too many you can always make a road trip to Colorado

The eggshell DNA test is around $17 per test.

Yes I check for wiggles and lean and warmth pretty much every day starting around day 28. I just can't help myself. It's very addictive! My first hatch is due starting the week if 2/8 or after. I CAN'T WAIT FOR EMU SNUGGLES AND WHISTLES!!