Emu's have I lost my mind?

[sandspoultry]

Ok, all the Emu people out there speak up please. I have seen these big green eggs come up every year and almost bought some last year. And I'm seeing them starting to come around again.

We have a incubator big enough to hatch them
A brooder barn to raise them in ... to a point
a fenced in area to raise them

How fast do they grow? How long does it take them to go outside? How many turkeys would they eat before they got to full size?

What is full size? Does anybody eat them? (I remember that being a claim to fame when they were very popular)

Thanks
Steve in NC

 

[monarc23]

sorry to reply when i have no info! BUT i hope you do get some i'd love to learn about them from a newbies point of view! I'm interested in them someday, them or those rheas.

I see the facination with them for sure!

 

[bluebirdfarm]

i personally do not like a bird that is big enuff to look me in the eye!!!!

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Yes, and I always wanted to raise an ostrich….then I wondered what it would be like to clean up a 300 pound chicken poop.

 

[Skyesrocket]

I had a pair of emu for a couple of years. They are unique, to say the least. Here is some info I copied online:

The female begins to breed between 18 months and three years of age, and may continue to produce eggs for more than 15 years. It is the male who incubates the eggs which hatch in about 50 days. The emu grows to full size within two years standing five to six feet tall and weighing as much as 150 pounds. With powerful legs similar to the ostrich, it can run up to 40 mph. An emu lives about 30 years.

Emus run the fence line. So, the longer the fenced area the better. They will only go into the middle of the area to cut across to the other side. Or if they are doing one of their goofy dances. Or chasing small dogs.
Mine never ate any of my poultry. But, if they get startled by any small animal, they will stomp and kill them.
The eggs are gorgeous!
An excellent book to read is: The Emu Farmers Handbook. by Minnaar
We spent a lot of time with ours and they were friendly. But they are BIG, and not very smart. You do need to keep this in mind when you are around them. If you wear eyeglasses, they will take them off of your face. Hair clips or anything shiny attracts them and they will grab for it.
They love water and enjoy getting hosed down. If you have a small creek on your property they would love it.
They are large as hatchlings and grow fast. So, plan on having a big area for them.
We didn't raise ours for meat. I don't know what emu tastes like.
You know you want to, go ahead and try it!

 

[Bossroo]

Some people a couple of miles from me were breeders. they had several hundred of them. They gave me some meat to try... tastes like beef. They tried to sell me several young birds to get started. Three months later they whent broke. The local humane society got about 300 of their birds. Never did hear what they did with them. I also hear that hundreds have been turned loose in Texas. Just like there are now dozens of horses being turned loose in the California mountains because the feed costs are so high. Someone even abandoned a gelding in my pasture about a month ago. They cut the wire fencing to my pasture. I gave him away to a nice family after a month of advertising him at all of the feed stores.

 

[BeardedChick]

Emu is delish. Does not taste like chicken.

Neighbors had emus, and what Skyes said sums it up. Wear goggles or something protective, they really like shiny eyeballs.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
ouch!

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
But think of the drumsticks for a bird that can look you in the eye. Just a thought

Steve in NC

 

[chickenannie]

Someone told me they are mean. But I don't have any personal experience with them. Though, the thought of my chickens being bigger than me yet having a chicken brain is a scary thought. I don't think us humans would last long fighting for THAT pecking order!