Feeding emus

[akemus]

If i was to feed my emus a mixture of barley, corn and alfalfa would they get the protein the need?

 

[flyweed]

No. If you are new to raising emu's you need to read up more on their dietary needs..They have very specific needs, and you need to meet them, or you'll have serious problems down the road.

Good luck

 

[akemus]

Thats what i was affraid of. No one carries the Ratite food up here in alaska, what can i feed them? I havent got them yet, i am trying to find a food supply first.

 

[yinepu]

There is another thread on here about emu feed

when I was searching for local eggs for hatching I asked the guy who owns the local feed store if anyone around here raises emus.. he said they all got out of the business when the bottom dropped out a few years ago. So I asked him what feed they used to use.. he told me regular layer pellets (20% protein) for the chicks and calf creep feed for the adults (14% protein)

Now I'm not sure how good the calf feed is for them.. but i have seen other website recommend the layer pellets for babies

Here's the other link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/614597/emu-food

 

[yinepu]

I'm heading out to the feedstore this morning.. so I'm going to try to get a list of ingredients or analysis on that calf creep feed...

 

[yinepu]

Ok.. so I asked about the creep feed.. The owner told me that when emus were big business around here everyone started off with specialty feed for them. Hoping for better egg production so they could hatch out more babies (babies were selling for 5K each with proven breeders selling for 45K a pair). When the bottom dropped out of the market they couldn't give away emus... so they didn't want to spend the cash on the more expensive feed (one guy had over 200 yearlings). So they started them on the layer feed for the chicks and for adults they fed the calf creep feed. He said every one reported back that egg production went way up as well as the number of chicks hatched out by the male emus. One of the customers there had also used the calf feed for his emus (he no longer has them) and said he was amazed at the difference it made in his birds..
So anyway I checked the feed bags of the creep feed

Ingredients were listed as:
grain products
roughage products (25%)
plant protein products
cane molasses
vegetable fat
calcium carbonate
monocalcium phosphate
salt
ferrous carbonate
ferrous sulfate
cobalt carbonate
cobalt sulfate
sodium selenite
vitamin A supplement
vitamin D3 supplement
vitamin E supplement
ethylenediamine dihydriodide (source of iodine)

I think so long as you check the ingredients on the specialty feed for ratites (emus especially) and try to meet those ingredients / requirements you should be fine

 

[chickenzoo]

Mine didn't like the FRM Emu pellets..... they were too tempted with all the other feed the animals get so I started feeding them my own mix. As babies they still get chick starter and greens, but as adults they get Sweet feed, horse pellets, dog food or catfish pellets, bird seed, layer crumble and sometimes some flock rasier or gamebird diet.... they also like various greens... but they LOVE dog food and learned how to steal it from the auto feeders or the dogs bowls....

 

[dnkfarm]

Mine didn't like the FRM Emu pellets..... they were too tempted with all the other feed the animals get so I started feeding them my own mix. As babies they still get chick starter and greens, but as adults they get Sweet feed, horse pellets, dog food or catfish pellets, bird seed, layer crumble and sometimes some flock rasier or gamebird diet.... they also like various greens... but they LOVE dog food and learned how to steal it from the auto feeders or the dogs bowls....

Mine love dog food too. I am trying to get them to eat a mixture similar to yours and I add a little dog food. They will only pick out the dog food to eat and if they get anything else they spit it out. The ppl I got them from only fed them dog food.

 

[flyweed]

THought I would post this...this is the formulation and percentages from the Mazuri Ratite feeder/maintenance food:

Pellet size: 5/32" diameter x 1/2" length. 50 lb. net weight paper sack.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein not less than.......................17.0%
Crude fat not less than................................2.5%
Crude fiber not more than.........................14.0%
Calcium (Ca) not less than........................1.05%
Calcium (Ca) not more than......................1.80%
Phosphorus (P) not less than....................0.70%
Salt (NaCl) not less than...........................0.40%
Salt (NaCl) not more than.........................1.05%
Ingredients
GROUND CORN, DEHYDRATED ALFALFA MEAL, GROUND SOYBEAN HULLS, DEHULLED SOYBEAN MEAL, WHEAT MIDDLINGS, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CANE MOLASSES, FISH MEAL, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, LIGNIN SULFONATE, YEAST CULTURE, DL-METHIONINE, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, CHOLECALCIFEROL, VITAMIN A ACETATE, DL-ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, BIOTIN, TOCOPHEROLS, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, MENADIONE SODIUM BISULFITE COMPLEX, FOLIC ACID, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN, NICOTINIC ACID, MANGANOUS OXIDE, COPPER SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, VITAMIN B-12 SUPPLEMENT, FERROUS CARBONATE, ZINC SULFATE, CALCIUM IODATE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, ZINC PROTEINATE, COBALT CARBONATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, SODIUM SELENITE.
Feeding Directions
-- Feed free choice from 3 months of age to breeding.
Average Feed Weights (note that average feed weights may vary due to method of measuring)
Measurement g of Diet
¼ cup…………………………………..42
½ cup................................................80
1 cup…………………………………..162 2/11/10

Approximate Nutrient Composition

NUTRIENTS
Protein, %...................................................17.3
Arginine, %..................................................0.94
Cystine, %...................................................0.24
Glycine, %...................................................0.73
Histidine, %.................................................0.43
Isoleucine, %...............................................0.87
Leucine, %..................................................1.34
Lysine, %.....................................................0.90
Methionine, %.............................................0.41
Phenylalanine, %........................................0.83
Tyrosine, %.................................................0.57
Threonine, %...............................................0.63
Tryptophan, %.............................................0.21
Valine, %.....................................................0.90
Fat, %............................................................2.7
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, %.............................0.20
Omega-6 Fatty Acids, %.............................1.30
Fiber (Crude), %.........................................13.0
Neutral Detergent Fiber, %.........................28.0
Acid Detergent Fiber, %..............................16.3
Metabolizable Energy*, kcal/kg...............2,000
MINERALS
Ash, %..........................................................8.0
Calcium, %.................................................1.50
Phosphorus, %...........................................1.00
Phosphorus (non-phytate), %.....................0.78
Potassium, %..............................................1.30
Magnesium, %............................................0.25
Sodium, %..................................................0.20
Chlorine, %.................................................0.52
Fluorine, %...................................................NA
Iron, ppm.....................................................494
Zinc, ppm.....................................................147
Manganese, ppm.........................................180
Copper, ppm..................................................38
Cobalt, ppm................................................1.10
Iodine, ppm...................................................1.3
Chromium, ppm............................................NA
Selenium, ppm............................................0.68
VITAMINS
Thiamin, ppm.................................................14
Riboflavin, ppm..............................................15
Niacin, ppm..................................................100
Pantothenic Acid, ppm..................................24
Choline, ppm............................................2,200
Folic Acid, ppm.............................................5.2
Pyridoxine, ppm............................................6.0
Biotin, ppm..................................................0.45
Vitamin B12, mcg/kg.......................................15
Vitamin A, IU/kg......................................16,000
Vitamin D3 (added), IU/kg.........................3,300
Vitamin E, IU/kg...........................................150
Vitamin K (as menadione), ppm...................4.3

 

[itsibitsimi]

What brand of dog food do you use? I'm curious because I would like to see if my Emu would enjoy a few nuggets.