Questions on Raising 2 Emu Chicks with Alpaca, goats, sheep

[Di Warren]

Hi There,
We have a small hobby farm with 3 alpaca, 2 Nubian goats, 2 babydoll southdown sheep and 8 cats. Our farm animals are our pets and we spend the majority of each day out with them, They all live together and share the pastures, shelters and barn with one another. They all get along perfectly (although one of the goats is a bit hyperactive).

We are thinking of introducing emu (1 or 2 chicks) to our little barnyard, but have several questions. I have read just about every post here, but I still have quite a few questions before we make our ultimate decision, and I would love to hear of any experience that may contribute to this.

1. Is it safe to house them all together? We have read that the emu chicks should (and will be) separated at first, but that it is important to bring them together during feedings as long as it is supervised, but once they are bigger then is it safe to keep them all together?

2. Is it best to have 1 emu- to hopefully bond with the other animals (and people)? or 2 so they will have another of their species to be with also? Will that effect how they interact with the other pets? (we would like females and the breeder will do blood tests to guarantee females) Once into adulthood would 2 females fight?

3. Alpacas have big, shiney eyes! Can the emu hurt them?

4. Fencing...we have 4 foot fences all around our pastures (we live on a small island and there are NO predators here). We have been told by the breeder that if they are handraised as chicks then they probably wouldn't challenge the fences. Is this true? ~~Our goats could get out anytime they wanted, but they never have because they don't want to; they are perfectly content and happy in their space.

I think that bonding them to the other pets is the most important factor and really want it to work; just need to figure out the best possible way to do it.

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[briefvisit]

Gee, some one should have replied. I am not knowledgeable enough. I am wild-emu guy.

Hmmm . . . first question: I guess it's safe to have slightly larger emu chicks in the general mix. I guess the concern when they are very young is simply that they get trodded on. By the time they're knee-high, they're apparently pretty tough.

Second question: I personally like the idea of a pair of birds. Emus have personalities. I read stories of wonderfully well bonded emus and critters -- but you just never know.

And two females, Di??? Yeh, they may fight relentlessly. To the death, even. It's a hard call. Wait 'til a breeder answers this question.

Fences?? An adult emu will go over a four foot fence as though it wasn't there.

Supreme Emu

 

[EmuChemainusBC]

Hi Di,

We have been raising emu on Vancouver Island since 2010 and have 33 in our mob so have some experience with the emu maturing cycle.

1. Is it safe to house and emu with 3 alpaca, 2 Nubian goats, 2 babydoll southdown sheep all together?
I have heard of people cohabiting emu with sheep and goats and if you heard about Lucy on the Loose BC news coverage then you will know that Lucy lives with a deer. I would think that one of the issues would be the size of their enclosure and whether there are places to take cover. Our emus have been raised with border collies around but never in the pen. Emus are very adaptable with gradual change but if startled will try to run away at great speed or if cornered come out kicking!

2. Is it best to have 1 emu?
Emus are very social especially with their own kind. I had a single chick hatch and had to buy 3 Road Island Red chicks to keep it company. Emus on their own will usually make a strong bond with their owners, however it is not the same as another emu. I agree with Briefvisit that two females would not be a good idea. Females are generally the alpha of the species. The likelihood of one trying to drive the other away so that she is available for any passing emu males is very strong. Better to have a pair or two males in my opinion.

3. Alpacas have big, shiny eyes! Can the emu hurt them?
Emus are very curious and pecking is a large part of their daily activity. I would think shiny eyes would be irresistible.

4. Fencing...we have 4 foot fences all around our pastures.
Four foot fencing works well with chicks up to 6-8 months. We also use it for our established breeders who are in 100x20' pens with wooden rails between the posts so that they can't get their body weight over . However the growout pens are much larger in area and so we use 6' wire. Remember that a bird being chased will pickup a good speed and can jump amazing high when aided by their toes climbing the fencing.

Hope this helped and that you are not too bogged down with the latest snow storm.