Readers, here is some information from a gentleman who raises sheep across the river. I have tremendous respect for him. He has been on the same block for 57 years, and his knowledge of this country is truly outstanding:
in the wild, emu sleep in a little circle, with their heads together, anything from three to seven or eight. When you approach them, they will sit still until you are quite close, then bolt.
My female, Greedy, is what he calls a ‘pullet.’ It may be that we think of chickens when we say ‘pullet,’ but this gentleman suggests that if Greedy is a young bird (yup), she may only lay four or five eggs this season, but lay a dozen or more in coming seasons.
Finally, he reckons that a male will usually take the female back to his territory to nest. My guess is that my birds are nesting here – in the female’s territory – because the food is so plentiful. Thus, farmers use high-velocity techniques to deter emus that they recognise as males, as their presence tends to result, over seasons, in a real increase in the emu population.
Supreme Emu
in the wild, emu sleep in a little circle, with their heads together, anything from three to seven or eight. When you approach them, they will sit still until you are quite close, then bolt.
My female, Greedy, is what he calls a ‘pullet.’ It may be that we think of chickens when we say ‘pullet,’ but this gentleman suggests that if Greedy is a young bird (yup), she may only lay four or five eggs this season, but lay a dozen or more in coming seasons.
Finally, he reckons that a male will usually take the female back to his territory to nest. My guess is that my birds are nesting here – in the female’s territory – because the food is so plentiful. Thus, farmers use high-velocity techniques to deter emus that they recognise as males, as their presence tends to result, over seasons, in a real increase in the emu population.
Supreme Emu
