Pyxis' Emu Chat Thread

[briefvisit]

I was thinking of you just the other day, Pyxis. T. and Mrs. T. were walking past, talking to each other. And I noted how easy it is to pick which vocalisations are which -- m or f -- if you already know which bird is which.

[V. quiet here. No foreign emus of late. T. and Mrs. T. should be thinking about breeding here this winter.]

 

[matt swenson]

hey pyxis
one of my chicks has splayed legs. trying give it hobbles but just handleing her makes her kick wildly and that seems to injure the leg more. everything i've read says that a splayed legged chick isnt going to make it. one farms site says something like .."the longer you nurse them along the bigger hole your're eventually going to have to dig". other than the leg the chick is healthly. you heard any positive results dealing with splayed legs?? such a bummer.
my adult emus were so codependant as young birds, and these two are the same. i worried if i put one down then the other will be lost without it's friend. also worried if i nurse the chick along and still have to put it down their bond will be even stronger and the other chick will freak out even more.
was going going to give these chicks to my friend for his farm, but if one of the chicks dies/put down, i am going to have to spend so much time keeping a sad single chick company, going to get attached and giving it a away will be a problem. emu problems.
also good luck with your hatch.

 

[Pyxis]

hey pyxis
one of my chicks has splayed legs. trying give it hobbles but just handleing her makes her kick wildly and that seems to injure the leg more. everything i've read says that a splayed legged chick isnt going to make it. one farms site says something like .."the longer you nurse them along the bigger hole your're eventually going to have to dig". other than the leg the chick is healthly. you heard any positive results dealing with splayed legs?? such a bummer.
my adult emus were so codependant as young birds, and these two are the same. i worried if i put one down then the other will be lost without it's friend. also worried if i nurse the chick along and still have to put it down their bond will be even stronger and the other chick will freak out even more.
was going going to give these chicks to my friend for his farm, but if one of the chicks dies/put down, i am going to have to spend so much time keeping a sad single chick company, going to get attached and giving it a away will be a problem. emu problems.
also good luck with your hatch.

It can be possible to fix it, sometimes. Any chance at all you have a vet near you that does birds?

This person was able to fix it successfully:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/possible-to-fix-a-1-week-splay-emu-leg.878215/post-13350360
But there's also a very good chance it can't be fixed. I'd say maybe give it a shot for a week or two, and then if you don't see improvement, it's probably safe to assume it can't be fixed

 

[matt swenson]

thanks ! but i doesnt look good. trying to hobble her/him i think did more damage, total freaked out bird. gonna give it some time but ....

 

[briefvisit]

'i am going to have to spend so much time keeping a sad single chick company' That healthy chick has a long life before it.

I gotta stand by Pyxis on this. If the chick responds well and fast to treatment, okay. If not: a crippled emu can exist only in misery.

Supreme Emu

 

[tribalacres]

Hello.
I heard You were the go to Emu person. We just starting building up our farm with some amazing month old emus however they are sneezing or coughing and mucus comes out.
Any suggestions?

 

[Pyxis]

Hello.
I heard You were the go to Emu person. We just starting building up our farm with some amazing month old emus however they are sneezing or coughing and mucus comes out.
Any suggestions?

Emus can get respiratory diseases like chickens, such as MG. Do you have chickens and if so, might they have been infected with this disease and passed it to the emus? It could also be some other bacterial disease, or even viral. The recommended treatment is to separate all the sick birds from the rest and put them on a broad spectrum antibiotic. Oxytetracycline or amoxicillin is what's generally recommended.

You will probably have a hard time finding it in feed stores since a law was passed preventing such water soluble antibiotics for livestock to be sold OTC. Tylosin, which you can find in a feed store as Tylan, will be easier to get. Administer it at a rate of 15-25 mg/kg twice a day. It is given as an injection intramuscularly, into the thigh muscle.

 

[tribalacres]

Emus can get respiratory diseases like chickens, such as MG. Do you have chickens and if so, might they have been infected with this disease and passed it to the emus? It could also be some other bacterial disease, or even viral. The recommended treatment is to separate all the sick birds from the rest and put them on a broad spectrum antibiotic. Oxytetracycline or amoxicillin is what's generally recommended.

You will probably have a hard time finding it in feed stores since a law was passed preventing such water soluble antibiotics for livestock to be sold OTC. Tylosin, which you can find in a feed store as Tylan, will be easier to get. Administer it at a rate of 15-25 mg/kg twice a day. It is given as an injection intramuscularly, into the thigh muscle.

Thank you so much! I never thought I could Love birds so much but these babies I’ve grown attached too so quick and it’s been crazy trying to find some advice so thank you so much. Any other suggestions? Can they pass it off to ducks or baby chicks? When you say keep them away like how far? Thank you in advance!

 

[Pyxis]

Thank you so much! I never thought I could Love birds so much but these babies I’ve grown attached too so quick and it’s been crazy trying to find some advice so thank you so much. Any other suggestions? Can they pass it off to ducks or baby chicks? When you say keep them away like how far? Thank you in advance!

When I say keep them apart I mean no contact of any kind. Some of the diseases can be airborne and can passed on in the air if a bird sneezes or something, so you really want them in totally separate housing.

Well if it's mycoplasma then yes, they can pass it to chickens and ducks. Mycoplasma also never goes away; you can treat the symptoms, but the disease always remains and the birds shed it and infect others. You'd have to keep them away from all your birds forever to keep them from passing it on, if that is what it is. But like I said, it could be a different bacterial disease too, or a virus.

 

[tribalacres]

When I say keep them apart I mean no contact of any kind. Some of the diseases can be airborne and can passed on in the air if a bird sneezes or something, so you really want them in totally separate housing.

Well if it's mycoplasma then yes, they can pass it to chickens and ducks. Mycoplasma also never goes away; you can treat the symptoms, but the disease always remains and the birds shed it and infect others. You'd have to keep them away from all your birds forever to keep them from passing it on, if that is what it is. But like I said, it could be a different bacterial disease too, or a virus.

When I say keep them apart I mean no contact of any kind. Some of the diseases can be airborne and can passed on in the air if a bird sneezes or something, so you really want them in totally separate housing.

Well if it's mycoplasma then yes, they can pass it to chickens and ducks. Mycoplasma also never goes away; you can treat the symptoms, but the disease always remains and the birds shed it and infect others. You'd have to keep them away from all your birds forever to keep them from passing it on, if that is what it is. But like I said, it could be a different bacterial disease too, or a virus.

So if it is MG it’s impossible to sell eggs, sells poultry, etc.? This is so sad to hear. Are they functional long term as they won’t be miserable?