Emu pictures and stories.... post them here

[kathyinmo]

Please join me and post your emu pictures and stories here.

My dear friend, The Sheriff, sent me a surprise package; 3 emu eggs! I incubated them. Day 50 came (March 10, 2012), and I was shocked that 2 hatched (one was a stinker and tossed out).



The first one out waited patiently for the second one. I am sooooo glad I didn't end up with a lone emu.



I was getting worried that they weren't eating. Day 3 they were very happy to eat kale and carrots.

 

[Ellamumu]

T
This is Ella swimming with her pet goose General Gau last week when it was eighty degrees.

 

[briefvisit]

I'm by no means an expert...by that I mean I have only hatched out one emu and he/she is only 8 days old. I've pretty much brooded him the same way I brood my chickens. I have a baby pool in my "chicken room". I keep the heat around 75 in the chicken room but I keep an area in the baby pool around 90 degrees (just lowered it to 85 since Daryl is now a week old. I call the 90 degree area Daryl's house and he sleeps there. I'll post pictures a little later...It's been working out well. As far as what I'm going to do with Daryl when he's too big for inside but not ready for pasture yet...I haven't figured it out yet.

I must be careful not to offend here. My perspective, I note, has become a little more vinegarish in recent years.

'getting sunlight is good'? 'too big for inside but not ready for pasture'? I'm not sure how to take this.

When dad stands up to hit the trail with a new clutch, chicks that have hatched perhaps only an hour ago step out in a world of roaring wind and blasting rain. Their little leggies get muscular development from battling through the leaf-and-stick litter on the ground. Their neck muscles develop from a bazillion daily snatches at the food around them. And -- barring predation -- they thrive.


However, to my distress, I read of chicks spending weeks and weeks in small artificially-lit spaces 'cause their owners are afraid they are 'not ready for pasture yet'!!? What could that mean? Bear in mind, readers, that emus are not domestic critters. They're dinosaurs complete with waterproof feather pyjamas. The world is their oyster.

 

[briefvisit]

Hmmmmm....This is very interesting. Like I said I'm no expert. I have only read about emu babies before hatching my little guy. What you're saying makes perfect sense. I plan on turning him out as soon as he's fully feathered. I take Daryl outside almost daily to run. I truly value your input, @briefvisit . How do you suggest I raise Daryl?

Well, as I haven’t upset you:

It’s just a bizarre reality – I searched the Net for two years before I found this thread – that I seem to be the only person in the world involved in on-going observation of emus (rothschildis) in their natural environments:

One: the discussions of How Big Should My Emu Enclosure Be? indicate that folks have no idea just how much ground emus cover in the wild. A tennis court is about a postage stamp. An acre is a toilet cubicle. The amount of space that a captive emu should have is: absolutely as much as you can provide. One very important reason is that ‘withdrawal’ is the only defense mechanism available to any and every emu with another bird above it in the pecking-order.

It’s time someone did a study to see if foot-and-leg troubles I read about here are as common in the wild.

Two: an open space containing a number of emus (who didn’t choose each other . . . ) is not a comfortable environment for them. Wild emus use cover to get out of line of sight from dominant birds (or me). Bushes, etc. help the birds live safer and happier lives.

Three: some years ago, we did a serious study of a pair of wild chicks (whom I could get close to because his dad is tame-wild). ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega’ were observed through binos from about twenty feet for several months (not continuously. I ate and slept between times . . . )
What became clear is (a) they eat a far wider variety of substances than you’d guess, and (b) they derive an enormous amount of exercise from the reach-and-snatch of securing morsels. Swarbrick (‘Emu Husbandry Guidelines’) is the only person I’ve read who digs this, and she recommends hanging bunches of silverbeet (spinach, for you folk) in order to give the captive emus the exercise of ripping them to bits.
So I recommend trying to get anything Yummy for Emus growing ‘ferally’ in Daryl’s world. It seems that situation/budgets have allowed this community (except for a couple of exceptions) to drift into an acceptance of the notion that ‘chick pellets’ and ‘ratite feeder’ are almost sufficient food. Emoooz love FRESH food: flowers, berries, fruit, grass. Do provide plentiful roughage.

Four: there’s a contributor here named ‘S.E.’ S/he is the most knowledgeable character remaining of the ‘original’ cast and crew. Seek advice.

And although formal observations finished years ago, we still get scraps of data. Here are Eric and The Cheepers shot from the bench in my garden. We're using the two chairs to gauge their growth:

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

An Emu Story
​

I bought a rooster and some hens to live in the chicken coop in the house-clearing. As per instructions, I kept the chickens in their new pen for a couple of days. On the third morning, I let them out to explore their new world. The rooster was brimming over with rooster-ness: ‘Look at me! I’m tough and brave, and I’m in charge of The Hen Project.’ The Hens, meanwhile, trailed along behind Rooster – ‘He’s my Rooster!’ they sighed.
At that moment, I saw Greedy the Emu come into sight. Greedy and The Rooster spotted each other for the first time. Greedy put her head down and charged across the clearing at The Rooster. You could see the cogs going around in the Rooster’s head as it watched Greedy bear down on him: ‘Whoa!! This chicken’s feet are almost as big as me!! I’m out of here! (Abandon The Hens.)’ The Rooster ran straight under the shearing-shed, where he spent several hours conducting Secret Men’s Business.

Supreme Emu

 

[kathyinmo]

We took a walk around the lake-pond behind our house. Such a beautiful day.....

 

[kathyinmo]

Yesterday.....

 

[Raptor65]

He's tasted blood!




Someone stop him before he kills again!



Oh wait, false alarm it's just blackberry juice.

 

[yinepu]

I recently saw some pictures of emu eggs and chicks, and found them intriguing. I started wondering (and I hope all you emu enthusiasts will jump up shouting) -- other than the fact that they are unique, why do/would you keep emus over another type of fowl?

I think I have had just about every kind of fowl legally available in the US as pets or livestock..

My top favorite ever is our African Grey parrot.. he's our "kid"
The emus are an extremely close second.
They are only second because they can't talk

Their personalities are what have endeared them to me the most. As a kid I always wanted one (it was impossible at the time since they weren't available here in the states for the average person to own). So I had all sorts of birds. Now after having emus I can verify that they are just as goofy and lovable as I had always suspected.

Lets say I were to fall down in one of the turkey or chicken coops.. after a while I'm sure I would become lunch
The emus on the other hand would snuggle next to me and wonder why I was face planted in the dirt while picking my pockets looking for shiny things to eat.

I have emus that love hugs.. love to play with my hair and love to follow me around the yard 'helping" me with everything even if I do not wish for their help at all. I believe they are extremely intelligent (even though others will argue about that). But one of their major charms is that they genuinely want to be with me and see what I am doing.
My other birds (ducks, geese, chickens and so on) will follow me .. but seem to lose interest in what I am doing unless food is involved. I have had the rare rooster who liked to come in and watch TV and go for rides in the car.. and the rare goose and duck who liked to try to pick my pockets and learned assorted tricks.. but as I said.. they are the rare birds. It's not the norm.

Now having said all of that.. emus are NOT for everyone. They do weigh upwards of 100 pounds.. can kick like a mule and have very sharp nails that can slice you open if they start spazzing out and you get too close to flying feet. They are escape artists.. will go through barbed wire like it isn't there (and have the scars to prove otherwise) .. they will eat things that have no business being eaten and have been known to stomp smaller animals to death on a whim.. Most vets have no idea how to treat one who is sick or wounded.. and many won't touch them because of that.. suggesting that the birds be put down instead of trying to treat them (though not all vets are this way.. many are). in essence they are just like a giant two year old (dinosaur) at the "terrible two" stage.. one who gets into things they shouldn't and is stronger than they realize. As emu caretakers it's our responsibility to make sure they have proper shelter, enclosures, food, healthcare and do not become a hazard to ourselves or others.

 

[Ellamumu]

10pm birdy hugs!