Emu Eggs and the Cold

[birdmanmax]

Hello,
I have recently been thinking about getting some emu eggs to hatch out. I've done my reaserch and understand what I am getting myself into. So now that, that is covered. I have a few questions about how to get eggs I now a few local breeders and believe this is the time of year emus are laying eggs from November to march or April. The largest problem with this breeding season is I live in mid-Michigan and this time of year it is pretty darn cold(ranging from -15F to 35F). I am just wondering if emus still lay eggs in this weather and if those eggs are still viable for hatching?

Any responses are greatly appreciated.

 

[briefvisit]

We were tackling this subject just as I had to retire, birdmanmax.

The point is that so much of the data on the Net about emus is rubbish.

In this case, we're talking about the 'range maps' that theoretically tell you how high up into Australia's only snow country, the Great Dividing Range, emus naturally go. What is clear -- from photos of breeders in the U.S. -- is that male emooos will incubate in truly adverse conditions -- you can do the research. There are photos of males happily sitting in inches of snow.


I only have (here on Planet Rothschildi) data on relatively mild winters. But we have data on males sitting stolidly, season after season, in roaring winds and pouring winter rain, quietly hatching their clutches of chicks. Here is Boy Emu. He has five newly-hatched chicks under him in this photo. I was privileged to watch the four days of the hatch through binos, from about forty feet away:

 

[birdmanmax]

Thank you so much for the reply briefvisit. It is truly interesting the adaptiveness of emus.