Pyxis' Emu Chat Thread

[aart]

I'm going to put them out in their enclosure with a four foot fence separating them - they'll be able to look at each other and get used to each other, but won't be able to get at each other. And then I'll wait until Ciara has outgrown the goose and let them all together.

So the goose will cool it's jets in time....will the emus help with their own 'assertions of dominance'??

 

[Pyxis]

Wow, I was able to put my little ones with the older ones right away with no aggression. I think your boy is learning some bad behavior from the goose. I would try separating the goose from him and introduce the Emus maybe? Then let the goose live on the other side of the fence in site range until she is bigger than him.

Your little ones and older ones were always with other emus and were used to other emus, which probably made it easier. Berrigan was already ten days old when Ciara hatched and at that point had never been with another emu. And as soon as I tried to put them together he started pecking her. Probably just an exploratory thing, but he's bigger than her and he was almost knocking her over when doing it.

I'm not going to split the goose up from him because he freaks out. He freaks out if I pick the goose up for too long to hold him and talk to him, and he can actually see the goose while this is going on. He still starts crying until I set the goose down. At earsplitting volume.

Berrigan is doing to Ciara what Ciara does to new birds she sees and isn't familiar with - pecks them. I showed Ciara a gosling this morning and the first thing she did is start pecking at it, which is exactly what Berrigan does to her when I try to put them together. So it's nothing the goose is teaching him; it just seems to be what they do to unfamiliar birds. He may even just be trying to 'explore' her and learn about her, but he's bigger and it could hurt her.

So unfortunately for now they can't safely be together, and will have to be introduced slowly. Which is fine, I don't mind doing it that way.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Gotcha, makes sense

 

[WVduckchick]

Your little ones and older ones were always with other emus and were used to other emus, which probably made it easier. Berrigan was already ten days old when Ciara hatched and at that point had never been with another emu. And as soon as I tried to put them together he started pecking her. Probably just an exploratory thing, but he's bigger than her and he was almost knocking her over when doing it.

I'm not going to split the goose up from him because he freaks out. He freaks out if I pick the goose up for too long to hold him and talk to him, and he can actually see the goose while this is going on. He still starts crying until I set the goose down. At earsplitting volume.

Berrigan is doing to Ciara what Ciara does to new birds she sees and isn't familiar with - pecks them. I showed Ciara a gosling this morning and the first thing she did is start pecking at it, which is exactly what Berrigan does to her when I try to put them together. So it's nothing the goose is teaching him; it just seems to be what they do to unfamiliar birds. He may even just be trying to 'explore' her and learn about her, but he's bigger and it could hurt her.

So unfortunately for now they can't safely be together, and will have to be introduced slowly. Which is fine, I don't mind doing it that way.

who is the goose going to end up with?

 

[Pyxis]

who is the goose going to end up with?

The emus and other geese The emus will share a pen with my brahmas and a flock of geese. So Caesar and Berrigan won't get split up.

 

[WVduckchick]

The emus and other geese The emus will share a pen with my brahmas and a flock of geese. So Caesar and Berrigan won't get split up.

Awesome!

 

[aart]

I showed Ciara a gosling this morning and the first thing she did is start pecking at it, which is exactly what Berrigan does to her when I try to put them together. So it's nothing the goose is teaching him; it just seems to be what they do to unfamiliar birds. He may even just be trying to 'explore' her and learn about her, but he's bigger and it could hurt her.

Sounds pretty much like chickens.

 

[SilksterTN]

The emus and other geese The emus will share a pen with my brahmas and a flock of geese. So Caesar and Berrigan won't get split up.

I gotta say that getting emus and learning about their particular likes and dislikes probably doesn't come with a manual. "Emus for dummies" hasn't been written yet LOL Just as with anything it's going to be a learning curve for Pyxis and all of her feathered friends. No 2 situations are ever the same and what works for one won't always work for all. Good ole trial and error. I have no doubt that whatever happens it will be done with safety and the best interests of the birds involved. I am also pretty sure that best laid plans better be written in pencil as who knows how they will react as the situation evolves.
I know that Pyxis has wanted emus since forever.....no way she's gonna not make this work. LOL Meanwhile I will just live vicariously through the adventures

 

[SilksterTN]

So questions for all the emu owners here. Do you vaccinate them? Is there any difference in testing with them if you are NPIP or do they get a pass due to the species? (Imagines doing a throat swab on an emu in fear). Are they susceptible to typical poultry type diseases? Avian influenza and such?

 

[Pyxis]

So questions for all the emu owners here. Do you vaccinate them? Is there any difference in testing with them if you are NPIP or do they get a pass due to the species? (Imagines doing a throat swab on an emu in fear). Are they susceptible to typical poultry type diseases? Avian influenza and such?

Funny you should ask about vaccines, since I'm just about to order mine. They need to be vaccinated for EEE and WEE. Tractor Supply sells the vaccine for that, BUT it also contains the vaccine for equine flu, which should never be used on emus because if you vaccinate them with that, then they'll test positive for bird flu, which of course you do NOT want. So I'm ordering mine in.

In NY they don't get tested for NPIP - I asked my NPIP lady and she said they do not test them. They also don't test waterfowl here.