Emu Fence Finished, My 3 EMooz enjoying life :)

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Hey guys, update on my three emus, Fawkes, Strider and Sayid. We finished their outdoor pen in early April (husband wasn't too happy with how draconian I got, we were literally drilling fence posts when the ground was borderline still frozen, but we got it done!!!) and now my emus have space to roam, thank god. They love it, I love it, and we spend many hours out there with them watching them play.

I figured once we built the expanded pen, I would have a heck of a time getting them back IN it but as soon as I go back near the barn, they always follow!! It's a blessing and a curse, because when I leave they tend to hang out in the smaller area again, not really feeling the courage to go out into the big field for too long by themselves.

Sayid (smallest one) made a noise about a week ago that did sound weird and guttural. and bass like? But they're only 9.5 months old, is it possible they are making adult noises yet?

They really love their pool, and running around first thing in the morning to get their energy out

I SWEAR FAWKES SITS DOWN ALL THE TIME lol is this a male/female behavior or just a cozy emu that likes to sit?

Fawkes of course having a sit down again

me and Strider on my birthday

so far Strider is the only one who has figured out how to get IN the pool.

 

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Really healthy looking chicks!


Fawkes definitely no injury to her/his legs? No limp?


Emus have personalities. It’s a thing I love. It’s subtle. But it’s life long. So, for example, a predisposition to plonk down to eat is one. Some of my tame-wild emus will mosey through the car port. Some just don’t. Ever. Uno Chick is remarkably curious: loves to ‘beak’ things. Some of the birds observed here go to bed earlier. Some get up earlier.

(‘And Strider is the only one who has figured out how to get in the pool . . . ‘)

I don’t see it as a male-female thing.


Sayid vocalizing? Would you like to report for us? Our data on this is a bit ragged.


Thesis: pet emus mature on a different time-table from wild emus.

Eric’s orphan chicks shifted to adult vocalisations at about 18-20 months.

Astrid, if a Dad chooses the ‘short’ parenting model, he boots the chicks at about 10 months (to seek a consort-ship himself). That then puts a half-grown chick on its own in the bush. (I recall identifying the roosts of a chick at this age. Single chick. Dumped by Dad. Roosting on its lonely little self in the bush beyond my farmhouse. What a frightened little morsel of emu-ness it must have been!)

So, wild guess: adult vocalisations begin between about 10 and 16 months. And I think rather earlier with pet/commercial emus.


Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, W.A.

 

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Really healthy looking chicks!


Fawkes definitely no injury to her/his legs? No limp?


Emus have personalities. It’s a thing I love. It’s subtle. But it’s life long. So, for example, a predisposition to plonk down to eat is one. Some of my tame-wild emus will mosey through the car port. Some just don’t. Ever. Uno Chick is remarkably curious: loves to ‘beak’ things. Some of the birds observed here go to bed earlier. Some get up earlier.

(‘And Strider is the only one who has figured out how to get in the pool . . . ‘)

I don’t see it as a male-female thing.


Sayid vocalizing? Would you like to report for us? Our data on this is a bit ragged.


Thesis: pet emus mature on a different time-table from wild emus.

Eric’s orphan chicks shifted to adult vocalisations at about 18-20 months.

Astrid, if a Dad chooses the ‘short’ parenting model, he boots the chicks at about 10 months (to seek a consort-ship himself). That then puts a half-grown chick on its own in the bush. (I recall identifying the roosts of a chick at this age. Single chick. Dumped by Dad. Roosting on its lonely little self in the bush beyond my farmhouse. What a frightened little morsel of emu-ness it must have been!)

So, wild guess: adult vocalisations begin between about 10 and 16 months. And I think rather earlier with pet/commercial emus.


Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, W.A.

Thanks for your response! I always enjoy reading them.
No, Fawkes isn't injured in any way, I should have rephrased that. He sits down occasionally, but a lot more often than the other two - and it's very rare to catch Sayid sitting down!!

You're very right about the personality differences. I can see a few in my own emus.

Sayid likes to come up behind you and grab your hoodie or shirt.
Strider is a cuddly emu who loves attention.
Fawkes likes to sit. and he also rolls halfway over sometimes, it's very comical. Legs in the air.

My emus are from the same batch of eggs, but they are not related. They're from different emu breeding pairs, which is cool because they also look very different. Fawkes has light (super light) under feathers with dark tips. Really beautiful colouring. Sayid is very dark. Strider has mottled colouring, more of what I thought an emu would be like, but incredibly fluffy. It's like he has more/longer feathers than the other two.

Must be confusing for them, though. Why isn't Dad booting us from the nest and wants to hang out with us all the time? hahaha
I think they are more independent now, they don't pace when I leave as often, unless something has spooked them ( for example the wind or a dog coming up the driveway from the neighbours.)

 

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'Strider has mottled colouring, more of what I thought an emu would be like, but incredibly fluffy. It's like he has more/longer feathers than the other two.'

Assuming, Astrid, that you are as nuts about emus/understanding the species as we are, there is an enormous amount of study to be done. For example, if a group of us started studying the plumages of the rothschildi and woodwardi, would we find a difference in length of feathers? (But I sorta suspect that 'U.S.A. Emooo' is a sorta all-mixed-up sub-species all on its own at this point.) And certainly we'd find less dense plumage on a 'winter' woodwardi than a winter rothschildi.

Yes, 'mottled' is what I'd call the emus wandering around here. And I'd say 'sandy' for the lighter coloured ones, which are purty rare in the wild. And on two occasions, I've seen wild adult emus that I'd flat-out call 'black': really dark plumage.

S.E.