Fence-Walking?!

[chickenzoo]

My Emu will walk the fence.of our 16 acres.....mostly because that is the most cleared area and they like seeing people who drive.by in cars...Atv..etc... If I come out.they follow me....but I often see them just walking all over with the other animals. Henry..my one.male loves gates...don't know why but he has a.desire to be by a gate...don'tafter if its 16 acres or 116.... He once walled out the front gate past Hubby to the dirt road.....he displayed.and walked right back in.....silly bird. He may like gates because that is where the most activity happens....

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

I don't think of that as 'fence-walking' in the sense that concerns me, E.H. That, rather, is healthy birds enjoyiing their environment.

Every anecdote about the pet birds' activities interests me, particularly those that show intelligence. The wild birds just don't have the luxury of time, it seems (though we guess they are wilier. A pet bird released here would be at a real disadvantage, I bet.)

S.E.

 

[yinepu]

I don't think of that as 'fence-walking' in the sense that concerns me, E.H. That, rather, is healthy birds enjoyiing their environment.

Every anecdote about the pet birds' activities interests me, particularly those that show intelligence. The wild birds just don't have the luxury of time, it seems (though we guess they are wilier. A pet bird released here would be at a real disadvantage, I bet.)

S.E.

Lol.. mine all know their names (and most will come when called by name). They also know which bucket and feed scoop I use for their feed. They boys all LOVE to pick my pockets and I swear several of them are "fashion police" They know instantly if the jacket I am wearing is different (and will inspect every bit of it.. pecking at the things that make it different than my usual one). If I buy a new shirt and wear it around them it also must be inspected because the design or pattern is different from all the others that have seen. New patterns must also be pecked at and inspected in every way possible. One day I wore different sunglasses.. the boys stole them off my head (though the old sunglasses were ignored even if I only wore them occasionally). New hair clips get the same treatment.. pecked at and stolen if they can get the chance. The funny thing is once they have inspected a new piece of clothing they seem to remember it.. even if I don't wear it around them again for weeks.. they will give it a quick glance as if they are remembering the pattern then completely ignore it.. but a new one HAS to be pecked and examined for several minutes before they are satisfied.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Morning, Yinepu.

Wonderful!! It's fun to 'tease out' the emus-are-dumb stuff from tjhe anecdotal evidence of their abilities, especially in respect of wild, tame, and pet birds.

I see myself going to one of these petting-zoos, and petting the emu. I have never petted an emu. It's such an odd contrast for me: to observe them every day, as close as four or five feet, though they remain quite distant.

Supreme Emu

 

[yinepu]

Morning, Yinepu.

Wonderful!! It's fun to 'tease out' the emus-are-dumb stuff from tjhe anecdotal evidence of their abilities, especially in respect of wild, tame, and pet birds.

I see myself going to one of these petting-zoos, and petting the emu. I have never petted an emu. It's such an odd contrast for me: to observe them every day, as close as four or five feet, though they remain quite distant.

Supreme Emu

Oh they are far from being "dumb"... . I prefer to think of it as being "educated emu" vs "non educated emu"
like any animal .. if they are just kept in a pen and ignored they appear "dumb" to the average person.. but when they are presented with stimulus you can see them working things out in their brains. Like with dogs.. if you chain a dog up outside and ignore it .. it appears "dumb" as opposed to one that has been worked with and taught tricks or how to preform chores.

In contrast my "educated" emus wouldn't fair very well in the wild because I keep on feeding their curiosity.. which would make them easy prey if they were suddenly tossed out into the wild. In that situation the wild ones would be the more "educated" of the bunch

People even call chickens "dumb".. but there are youtube videos where chickens have been taught tricks and to peck at certain colors or shapes and ignore others.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Nicely put!! I think it’s anthropologists that use the term ‘bodies of knowledge.’ Yes, the pet birds would be in immediate jeopardy here because they lack the requisite skills.

One of my disappointments has been that I have almost never had the need to try to teach a bird something, though sometimes I get to observe them solving ‘puzzles’ put to them by their situation (primarily concerning the navigation of fences).

Supreme Emu

 

[chickenzoo]

Yes...patterns or anything new has to be inspected. Put anything new in their pasture....no matter how small....they will find it to inspect. Lol

 

[The Sheriff]

Oh Supreme Emu, it is sad you can't pet an emu. There is nothing so sweet as an emu hug. My Louis loves to hug for a very long time. During the hug, his neck is on my shoulder. He falls asleep with his head hanging over my shoulder. The deeper he sleeps, he begins to pull me down with him. Since he is so big now we don't tend to hug him for very long! Chica is too aloof and full of herself to hug. Loca likes to hug so she can make a snail attack on my glasses. Stuart is always on patrol and only comes in to eat. He like to be petted but is much too busy for hugs. He must always be on the lookout for potential invaders. It's demanding work.

 

[yinepu]

Oh Supreme Emu, it is sad you can't pet an emu. There is nothing so sweet as an emu hug. My Louis loves to hug for a very long time. During the hug, his neck is on my shoulder. He falls asleep with his head hanging over my shoulder. The deeper he sleeps, he begins to pull me down with him. Since he is so big now we don't tend to hug him for very long! Chica is too aloof and full of herself to hug. Loca likes to hug so she can make a snail attack on my glasses. Stuart is always on patrol and only comes in to eat. He like to be petted but is much too busy for hugs. He must always be on the lookout for potential invaders. It's demanding work.

Paco sounds like Louis.. he even lets me hold his beak.. He will snuggle his face against my neck and fall asleep as he gets his hugs. Dorian loves hugs too (he's very much like your Loca).. but he won't snuggle as he is usually too busy trying to figure out what I have that he can steal. Rose and Beau want nothing to do with hugs.. Beau is the youngest and he loves the other emus.. but only thinks of me as the treat bringer. Rose is usually busy keeping watch over everyone else and giving the cows a dirty look to be bothered with me.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Hi, Sheriff!

Actually, it’s worse than you think. Apart from being able to stroke the two tame birds, every other close contact I’ve had with the birds has centred on pain and fear. I found Sikecil hanging upside down in a fence, carried her home and nursed her for four days until she died, and she shivered with terror the whole time. Number One turned up afraid and in pain, and I lost her too. And although you guys saw cute photos of the wild chicks in a box by the fire, they were mostly hysterical with panic.

Felicity is the saving grace. She is a sweetie. You can see it in her eyes.

S.E.