Just some photos of my Ostriches and Emu :)

[yinepu]

Yinepu -- They are pets, but I'm not offended. I also keep sheep and other animals people would eat and although I've been a vegetarian since I was a little kid and I couldn't imagine eating them, I don't mind that other people do.

cool.. I just wanted to apologize to ya though since it is your thread.. and like I said .. the question had been asked... so yeah...

a camel is on my "wish list" for someday... but right now I have my hands pretty full with all the others we have here.. so they will have to wait! (and I still love that Dobie of yours.. looks a heck of a lot like my old bloodline)!

 

[moonjelly]

Chooks -- I've never heard of an Emu killing a healthy adult. I have heard of an Ostrich being capable of it, but I was unable to find any news story of a pet/ranch ostrich killing a healthy non-elderly adult.

Does anyone know of any recent accounts? I'm not saying that it doesn't happen and I know they're capable, just personally I was unable to turn anything up.

Domesticated horses kill their rider all the time in accidents and otherwise. There is always a risk when working with any large animal. Only time will tell if my young Ostriches will become hard to manage and aggressive upon reaching sexual maturity, but I will likely pen them up and respect them vs. culling or selling them.

Yinepu -- Camels are great fun. There is nothing more fun than a baby camel. It's been four years now since either of my camels was a baby and I sure miss it. If only I could find a stud around to breed my female, too....

Dobermans are the best dogs. I think I hit the dobie jackpot with Sugar Tree. She's the perfect type/size to me. So many are bred to be oversized and it's so far out of standard it's hard to see them as Dobermans sometimes.

And no problem. I'll never know what ostrich or emu tastes like, I guess, but I sort of am curious.

 

[yinepu]

Chooks -- I've never heard of an Emu killing a healthy adult. I have heard of an Ostrich being capable of it, but I was unable to find any news story of a pet/ranch ostrich killing a healthy non-elderly adult.

Does anyone know of any recent accounts? I'm not saying that it doesn't happen and I know they're capable, just personally I was unable to turn anything up.

Domesticated horses kill their rider all the time in accidents and otherwise. There is always a risk when working with any large animal. Only time will tell if my young Ostriches will become hard to manage and aggressive upon reaching sexual maturity, but I will likely pen them up and respect them vs. culling or selling them.

Yinepu -- Camels are great fun. There is nothing more fun than a baby camel. It's been four years now since either of my camels was a baby and I sure miss it. If only I could find a stud around to breed my female, too....

Dobermans are the best dogs. I think I hit the dobie jackpot with Sugar Tree. She's the perfect type/size to me. So many are bred to be oversized and it's so far out of standard it's hard to see them as Dobermans sometimes.

And no problem. I'll never know what ostrich or emu tastes like, I guess, but I sort of am curious.

well.. i can answer the taste part

they taste like very fine quality beef or veal (depending on how they are cooked).. the meat is dark like beef.. not at all what you would expect from a "bird" unless you are used to seeing muscovy.. and even then if you were to sit cleaned emu meat (tendons removed) next to a cut of beef.. the average person wouldn't be able to tell it apart.. it's very lean meat and extremely tender even in a year old bird.. I have had it as roasts, burgers, stew, soup and pan fried .. it's so close to beef that people who I have cooked it for couldn't tell the difference.. (we have emu stew in the fridge right now as a matter of fact)...

 

[chooks4life]

Emu stew and steaks sounds awesome.... I think I must try in future...

About the ostriches or emus killing people, I don't offhand recall any recent cases, though cassowaries kill people fairly frequently and they're a lot smaller than emus. Just highly aggressive and territorial. One recent case had a 17 year old boy who startled a cassowary so it chased him, kicked him in the carotid artery, and he ran a few hundred yards before bleeding to death. If he hadn't run the people with him could have possibly saved him. But generally that's how they kill, stabs to the throat.

On the other hand I've dealt with wild emus without being harmed. Saved one which had caught its leg in a fence, chased others out of gardens, etc. I have seen them peck people but that's about it.

I did meet one male ostrich who spent all day every day displaying and charging and hissing and kicking at the fence separating him from people. It's a good thing he wasn't loose. He was a zoo exhibit and his mate was laying hundreds of eggs, all over the enclosure, so I'd guess nobody had dared to come in there in quite some time. He was permanently enraged. I know not all ostriches are like that, in fact I'd be willing to bet it stemmed from maltreatment in his past.

About camels, there I would exercise more caution. They might make great pets but males in the rutting season are known to kill people. We always steered well clear of both species of feral camels whenever we saw them while hiking. Even wild, they're unafraid, and even out of the breeding season both genders can be aggressive. A baby camel sounds really cute though. I've seen pictures of the tusks or fangs the males can grow, looks like a serious bite would result. But even chooks can be fatally dangerous. It's up to the person managing them to prevent them from harming people. Best wishes to all with their various livestock.

 

[areeb]

Do the ostriches and emus usually incubate their own eggs? Just seems to me like the eggs would be too big to have a constant temperature at the top and bottom of the egg in an incubator. does anybody sell baby ostriches or emus? How much do they usually go for? I'm located in Austin,TX.

 

[chooks4life]

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[moonjelly]

Chooks -- Cassowaries are a bit different in their method of attack when compared to Emu and Ostrich- it just makes them all the more dangerous. I was able to find one account of an elderly man that was found dead inside his ostrich pen, but they were unable to figure out if he died of natural causes and then the birds walked on him or whether the ostriches were involved in his death. I have no doubt ostriches are dangerous birds, but I still can't find any stories in the last ten years of pet/ranch birds killing a healthy adult.

Oh yes, I would take an angry ostrich over an angry camel any day. Rutting male camel is probably one of the most dangerous animals there is, at least definitely one of the top dangerous herbivores. All pet male camels need to be castrated, unless you intend on breeding or have very secure management practices. Castrated males make the best pets, followed closely by females. But as you said, all camels are very unafraid. You cannot spook them, like you can a horse or many other large animals. The reason for this is that camels are NOT a prey animal. In fact, they have no natural predators. You waving your arms or grabbing a stick and moving toward one to scare it will cause the camel to move right back toward you.

They attack many ways. With their neck, which is basically just a huge muscle. They will wrap it around you and go down for your ankles to bite. Once you're on the ground they sit on you and crush you with their a large pad underneath their chest called a brisket. I've watched my camels practice this many times on carpets, plastic bins, anything. Also, as you mentioned, bull camels or camels that were kept intact late in life sharp fangs. Babies are adorable, but you have to raise them with a lot of respect.

Areeb -- I highly recommend purchasing the book, "The Ratite Encyclopedia". I referenced it many times while hatching my Emus and raising my Ostrich chicks.

(Amazon Link)

 

[ChickensXOXO]

Great pictures! They're so cute.

 

[moonjelly]

Thank you! They are and very fun to watch.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: I know, I've only ever seen an emu peck, but cassowaries leap and kick for the face and throat. I would guess that ostriches kick, since that male was kicking at me and if they're known to kill lions with kicks, that makes sense. I think emus might also kick if really angry but they're not known for aggression either, and aren't armed like a cassowary is.