Emus Problems

[TmkG]

hi, i was given an emu chick a few weeks ago, and recently i noticed he is bow legged on his left side. the breeder said this occasionally happens, but could the type of food/ Protien % contribute to this to?

 

[birdygirl123]

I just got an Emu but have been reading tons. I read that it can be a lack of Vit B.. and if you catch it in time, that your bird will be okay. I also read something about 20% protien..

This was taken from the following site: http://www.redoakfarm.com/emuchickhealth.htm

Leg problems:

Splayed legs - the affected leg twists out away from the body, rotating to point the toes to a right angle from the body. Splayed legs appear to be caused by two different things, injury and nutritional deficiencies.

Injury: crowded pens, slick floor surfaces, getting caught behind watering dishes or feeders. Prevention - lots of room, putting a towel down on the hatcher floor, straw or another material on the chick floors, eliminating 'danger areas' in the pens.
Nutritional deficiencies in the breeder hen is passed on to the chick. Prevention - feed a balanced breeder ration prior to and during breeding/laying season.
Nutritional deficiencies caused by rapid or excessive weight loss in eggs during incubation. If an egg is losing weight too fast, put a piece of paper tape over a section and monitor it.
Nutritional deficiencies in chicks - chicks need a balanced ration in order to develop strong tendons, bones and muscles.
I get several phone calls or emails from site visitors asking if the chick can't be kept alive. In the wild this chick would not be able to keep up and would die early. Even with human intervention it will eventually get so bad that the chick cannot get around. You have a choice, you can prolong it's life by:

Hand feeding it and watering it several times a day.
Clean up after it frequently so it is not laying in it's own manure.
Moved into sunshine during nice weather and under shelter in bad weather.
Protect from the other emu so they don't peck his eyes out or kill him.
Dig a larger hole to bury the body when it dies anyway.
Or you can put it down immediately.

Deformed legs: bowed or twisted bones, one leg shorter than the other. etc. This is caused by a deficiency in the B vitamins and if caught early can be treated by changing to a better diet. Some deformity may remain, but the chick can at least be raised to processing weight.


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[TmkG]

so is there anything that i can do to help him walk normally?

 

[chickenzoo]

If you can post a pic we might be able to help

 

[ShadowRooster]

I had an emu with spayed legs, wich is what it sounds like.

Kyeema lived to be a few months old. We brought her to the vet, nothing we could do. At 6 months, she could no longer walk and had to be put down. Emu makes great steak, though.