Emu sitting on eggs

[Sneakyturtle]

My emus live in a 2.5 acre pasture and I have gotten busy lately and wasn't checking for eggs as much as I should have. Its currently 7 degrees where I live and my partner was going around checking on all the emus and couldn't find my oldest male. He found him hidden in a patch of tall grass behind some trees sitting on at least 3 eggs. He wouldn't let my partner take the eggs from him, so we just decided to leave him sitting on the eggs for now. I'm not sure how long he has been sitting on them or how many eggs there are total. Should I try to take the eggs from him and incubate them myself? Is it safe for him to be sitting out in 7 degree weather on eggs?

 

[PMD PerformanceHorses]

If it was me, I would incubate them myself

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

It’s fine for him to sit on the eggs in those temps. The question is, do you want to ensure the eggs hatch? Some younger males will just go and get off the eggs too early. Also, do you want hand raised chicks, or emu raised chicks?

 

[FNF]

My male has been sitting since end of November! I built a “nest” of straw around him to block the wind and we ended up putting a cheap tailgate canopy over him since in VA we have been cold, windy, rainy, and also snowy any given day. He’s hatched four so far and I brought them inside to a brooder. I check him a couple of times per day and he does let me remove them from underneath. DM me if you want to chat though in all honesty I’m a complete newbie and learning as I go. But they are just adorable! The first hatched at about sixty days.