Emus???

[(chicken pun)]

I've been hearing about people hatching emus lately and I am deeply confused. I would love to hear about keeping emus because they are known as such nasty birds.

 

[JaeG]

All I know is that they need a lot of space (each bird needs as much as a horse would), high, secure fencing they can see easily (so they don't plow through it) and an understanding of their nature as they are territorial. They are often kept for meat and they don't get along with a lot of animals (like dogs and cats) so they do need some thought put into how you are going to keep them, especially as they need space to run. There are many threads you can read through for more info.

 

[birdmanmax]

Well emus are the furthest thing from nasty if they are raised right. Emus very rarely kick but are extremely curious they will bite anything shiny or intriguing such as rings, anything metal, shiny eyeballs, open wound or scabs,etc... They require a ton of space and a rather low protein diet. They do well with other bird species but will attack our cats and chase any new birds that aren't properly integrated into their enclosure. They are some of the most tame birds we have ever had and will come running when you approach the fence and will eat directly from human hands.

 

[BantyChooks]

Well emus are the furthest thing from nasty if they are raised right. Emus very rarely kick but are extremely curious they will bite anything shiny or intriguing such as rings, anything metal, shiny eyeballs, open wound or scabs,etc... They require a ton of space and a rather low protein diet. They do well with other bird species but will attack our cats and chase any new birds that aren't properly integrated into their enclosure. They are some of the most tame birds we have ever had and will come running when you approach the fence and will eat directly from human hands.

Is free ranging them advisable?

 

[birdmanmax]

As far as I know there is no way to free range them. I’m not saying it’s impossible but they love to wander and I have heard countless stories of emus getting out and never being seen again or being shot by police miles away. If you have plenty of land and I mean plenty with no roads within miles and plenty of food to keep them coming back and no predetors then it might be posssible. As I think about it more though if you had very tame birds they could almost be trained to go in a stall at night and free range during the day.

 

[BantyChooks]

As far as I know there is no way to free range them. I’m not saying it’s impossible but they love to wander and I have heard countless stories of emus getting out and never being seen again or being shot by police miles away. If you have plenty of land and I mean plenty with no roads within miles and plenty of food to keep them coming back and no predetors then it might be posssible. As I think about it more though if you had very tame birds they could almost be trained to go in a stall at night and free range during the day.

Thanks. Might be possible for me, then. I'd just have to stop by the station and tell the cops not to shoot.

We've got plenty of predators but the chickens are just fine during the day; it's the nighttime beasts that are scary. Would dogs be an issue for an emu?

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Can you have emus with chickens? Or is it like with turkeys, that you shouldn't have them with chickens because chickens can give turkeys blackhead disease?

 

[drumstick diva]

I've heard Emu can/will trample chickens but, don't know if it is intentional or not. Chickens are pretty tiny next to an adult emu.

 

[birdmanmax]

As drumstick diva mentioned the main concern with emus with other “fowl” is trampling. Our emus roam the same fenced in area with chickens, ducks, and turkeys. We have yet to see them purposely or even step on the other smaller birds. Although there has been a few times where the turkeys got a good wack because they were in an emus way. But yes they can be raised together does this make either bird more susceptible to certain diseases possibly but I cannot answer that for sure. Here’s an image of a silkie hen sleeping with a couple of our emus.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

I looked up the Swedish laws, it's actually illegal to hold an emu with another species of bird that can "spread a disease to them". So technically I guess it's illegal to keep them with chickens. However, if I get emus, I think I will be evil enough to ignore that law.