Emu sitting inconsistently on eggs

[tmacca]

A few months ago I posted that we had found a clutch of emu eggs - after thinking we had 3 females emus. Well since then, I have seen one of the emus (Raptor) covering the nest with leaves and sticks. The eggs have been laid from July onwards. Then just 2 weeks ago Raptor stopped coming up for feeding and on inspection I have found her/him sitting on the nest. The problem is she/he is not sitting consistently on the eggs - and it is so long ago since they were laid! I have seen her/him come up to feed and walk around and then go back to the nest and sit again.
I am thinking there is no chance that the eggs are viable after this amount of time - as well as the change in weather.
So - should I take the eggs away or just leave Raptor to work it out???

 

[M-H-Fielding]

Hard call!
I would let her sit for a few more days to see if she is really into sitting. I don't know much about emus.
Also, try to get some food and water closer to her. Then she won't leave the nest. I had to do this with my turkeys or they wouldn't sit.

 

[briefvisit]

Young bird?

 

[tmacca]

Hard call!
I would let her sit for a few more days to see if she is really into sitting. I don't know much about emus.
Also, try to get some food and water closer to her. Then she won't leave the nest. I had to do this with my turkeys or they wouldn't sit.

I would be difficult to get water to near where she/he is. She/he only comes up for a bit and then goes back down to the nest. It's just it's been so long since the eggs were laid. The eggs have been covered with sticks and leaves for weeks and then the other day they had all been pulled out and placed together.

 

[tmacca]

Young bird?

No - that's the thing - they would all have to be about 5 years old - but this is the first time they have laid eggs!

 

[kelzey]

i could be wrong, but i’m pretty sure the male is the one that sits on the eggs?

 

[tmacca]

i could be wrong, but i’m pretty sure the male is the one that sits on the eggs?

That's what all the information says - but we were told we had 3 female emus - and we are pretty sure that we have heard the 3 of them boom independently (the boom being the female sound).

 

[tmacca]

Another development - the other day when Raptor (the emu who is sitting on the eggs) was away from the nest, I went to have a look and see what was happening. The eggs are now all out from under the sticks and leaves and in nice pile, all clean and together. 2 of the eggs were still about 2m away from the nest. So I collected those in a shopping bag and went to go leave - and Raptor came around the side of the tank and behaved very aggressively towards the bag (I dropped it and quickly got out of there) - and she/he hissed at me until I had left the area. She/he then went back to the nest and tendered the eggs - turning them around etc.
I just don't know if these eggs would be viable since some of them have been sitting there since July (covered under leaves etc). So will the emu just continue to tend the eggs even if they don't hatch?? Or will he eventually give up and stop sitting??

 

[briefvisit]

If those eggs have been sitting un-warmed for months, they're surely now infertile -- ??

 

[tmacca]

If those eggs have been sitting un-warmed for months, they're surely now infertile -- ??

So how long before the emu realises that the eggs won't hatch and leaves the nest permanently? At the moment he is tending and guarding the eggs!