Look at what we woke up to today... EMU CHICKS!!

[Patch of Heaven Farm]

Awwww they are so cute!! Congrats on the chicks! We have alot of emu's running loose here due to them getting out and people letting them go. It is unnerving to walk out of the house and see a couple of them standing in the front yard!!

But they are beautiful birds!

 

[ntiveheart]

they are sooooooo cute! and very very cool! we've got about a month to go for the emu eggs in the 'bator and it's driving me crazy not knowing if we'll have babies at the end! all i know now is that the incubator doesn't stink when i open it to turn the eggs. i actually tried to listen to the eggs with a stethoscope, but didn't hear anything lol
I WANT EMUS!

 

[ChanceRider]

Quote:
When I've looked for emu info in the past I've just googled what I'm looking for... last night it was "vent sexing emu chicks" and came up with some great info.

Even when the babies lose their "cuteness factor" they're fun birds to have. Mine are quite tame, loving to get attention and hugs. My birds have a 100' x 25' run with an 8' x 8' x 6 tall shed that they only enter when they want to eat. Even in the rain and snow they're outside. The male even ignored the shed to build his nest under a large cedar tree. First time we did that we quickly built him a lean-to that he still uses for a nest.

Jay, even though they lose the patterning they do develope beautiful colors. Their necks have an irridescent blue coloring.

MrsBell... that's a GREAT pic! I've never been lucky enough to catch my birds in such a photogenic moment! Here's a pic of my breeding pair, Enoch and BoomBoom.

BoomBoom the female is in the background... you can see the slightly saggy area just under her neck (below the patch of light colored feathers).... that's what she inflates to make the booming sound.

 

[BellLisamo]

Quote:
When I've looked for emu info in the past I've just googled what I'm looking for... last night it was "vent sexing emu chicks" and came up with some great info.

Even when the babies lose their "cuteness factor" they're fun birds to have. Mine are quite tame, loving to get attention and hugs. My birds have a 100' x 25' run with an 8' x 8' x 6 tall shed that they only enter when they want to eat. Even in the rain and snow they're outside. The male even ignored the shed to build his nest under a large cedar tree. First time we did that we quickly built him a lean-to that he still uses for a nest.

Jay, even though they lose the patterning they do develope beautiful colors. Their necks have an irridescent blue coloring.

MrsBell... that's a GREAT pic! I've never been lucky enough to catch my birds in such a photogenic moment! Here's a pic of my breeding pair, Enoch and BoomBoom.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/14651_img_0001.jpg

BoomBoom the female is in the background... you can see the slightly saggy area just under her neck (below the patch of light colored feathers).... that's what she inflates to make the booming sound.

hehe thanks! he was yawning and i about died laughing when i noticed my camera caught it

your babies are gorgeous

 

[suenrob]

Beautiful babies!!!!!! The parents are pretty too. Thanks for sharing the pics. Please update the pics for us as the chicks grow.
I noticed you also have Llamas. How hard are they to raise? Are they just pets or do you raise them for other things? Thanks

 

[Country Guy John]

Nice pics.

 

[dixiechick]

Well, what do you know...I've never seen baby emus. How adorable! Love the coloring!

 

[MikelJohn]

We raised Emu's many moons ago. I have horrible memories of my father "harvesting" them!

 

[Blackbird]

Now I want emu's even more! Haha.. How high is the run? And what do you feed them?

One day on our way home from town we seen one in a field, but when we went back after changing and getting gear we couldn't find it again, only some foot prints.

 

[ChanceRider]

Quote:
suenrob, I'll definitely post additional pics as the chicks grow.

I adopted two adult, somewhat neglected, llamas a couple of years ago. I've been able to get them to trust me in their catch pen, and can pet the top of their heads, but not much else. These were two older llamas left alone in a pasture for years when I got them. I've recently moved them into about a 4 acre pasture to keep watch over my goats as we've had coyote problems in that pasture.

If I were to get llamas again, they'd be very young so I could get them accustomed to being handled. They should have shots, regular foot care (much like a goats), shearing, etc. My birds are nowhere near being able to be handled easily so everything is a chore with them. While it might take me 30 minutes to catch one of them, when caught they accept a halter easily and walk quite well on a lead. Even though they haven't been handled much, they're quite curious. I'm going to keep working with mine until I can assure them the care they deserve.

Amos, the emu run is 6' tall "no climb" horse fencing. In fact, the pen is built exactly the same way we build our horse pasture fencing. We're able to buy commercially prepared emu chow in pelleted form. Right now a 50 # bag runs about $15. There are times during their breeding season when they'll eat 50 # a week. Since the male doesn't leave his nest for the 56 days he's brooding eggs, he doesn't eat or drink. He pretty much gets catatonic, unless something he perceives as a threat comes along. If I had to guess, I'd say on an annual average they eat about 100 lbs a month. I always offer them fruit and veggies but they rarely take me up on it!