**GOT 2 Emu today 5 Months old help on if I should take them outside???**

[66vette]

Hi i just goy two 5 week old emus .and the lady I got them from said she took them outside 1 time? I have them In my sunroom in a 4x4 box with 250 watt bulb I am keeping it around 80-83 temp.But my qustion is I have a 12x12 dog pin with a cover over top and a dog house with a 120 watt bulb in it? so what I want to know is it going to be alright for me to take the 5 week old emus outside to the 12x12 pin with the dog house and the 120 bulb so they can run and play?I just really don't want to keep them in the brooding room all the time? I was thanking if I was to take them out say for about 20 mins or maybe even 30 mins would be good for them?but with the temp here in N.C about 50 highs thats don't real hot.or cold? like I saying oh I just really would like to take them out for alittle bit. if you thank it would be ok? so please let me know what you thank?thes are my frist ones and I just don't want to have them die on me???also is there anyway to check the sex?I was told something about a washer on a string???



Thanks for this website it is very good one. and thanks to all that can help me on this ?? newbe E

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Hey ya, 66!

Last winter, I observed the hatching of a clutch of wild emu chicks. The last of them hatched around lunchtime, and dad and clutch were out of sight before sunset. I know from my observations that these little critters are ‘operational’ from Day One, covering, within days of hatching, easily two miles a day in all weathers, including here, pouring rain and freezing cold, and through 'gum litter' -- sticks and leaf mulch -- up to six and eight inches deep.

The primary risk is predation (and it is high).

Emus – including the chicks – live in an extraordinary range of climates, ranging from snow to stinkin’-hot desert.

The sooner their little leggies start getting substantial exercise, the more likely they are to grow straight and strong. Wild chicks engage in ‘dawn spazzy dances’ – and although I was observing chicks a bit older – they will charge wildly around the house-clearing here for literally hundreds and hundreds of yards.

I do suggest you also take advice from emu incubators, who have specific experience with newly-hatched birds. I am Wild Emu Guy.

Nevertheless, if there is no risk of predators, and the temperatures aren’t really cold (covered pen with a light bulb sounds great!), I’d suggest they can stay outside for hours if it’s obvious that they are having a good time.

Perhaps you could give them twenty minutes today, thirty tomorrow, and – while carefully observing their reactions – progressively longer thereafter.

Running about is super important for them.

Washer on a string?

Supreme Emu,
Western Australia

 

[ES Emus]

Hey 66!
Congratulations of your acquisitions! We usually use the guidelines of keeping 3-8 week old birds at 70-80 degrees. That said, the birds definitely need more exercise for proper leg development than a 4X4 box can provide. I suggest that you take the birds outside during the warmest part of the day for exercise, they can handle cooler temperatures for limited times, but they can become chilled. As long as they are actively running around, they should be okay, but when they slow down, they need warmth.

At 6-8 weeks of age, they should be okay outside during the day in nice weather, but will need to be sheltered at night and during rainy periods. After 8 weeks, as a rule, they should be okay outside...
ES

 

[ES Emus]

Just a question- Your thread title says 5 Months, but your initial post says 5 weeks. I assume from the picture /avatar that you meant 5 weeks as 5-month old emus would not fit very well in a 4X4 box!!!

 

[Chickie Mama]

They are so much fun at that age! Just a piece of unsolicited advice. I’m sure you are aware… but just in case. When they are ready to go outside, make sure you have them in an escape-proof enclosure. Those suckers are FAST and they are NOT easy to herd! Is it obvious I’m speaking from personal experience? : )

My husband's family hatched about 15 of them a few years ago. One time someone forgot to latch the little gate on their outdoor pen and most of them got out. Even though they were hatched, hand raised and accustomed to people picking them up and holding them, some sort of instinct kicked in and they ran whenever we approached them. My very patient and more experienced husband was able to get them back in... somehow. His parents have been raising Emus for most of his life so he is better at it than most.

Enjoy your little ones!

 

[66vette]

Frist I will say I really thank you all for your posts I need all the help I can get? and Yes they are 5 weeks going on 6. I did take them outside today for about 30- 40 mins and they was picking at everything on the ground.lol I don't know who had the most fun me or them.lol again Thanks