**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[yinepu]

I call a drumstick!

lol.. that's pretty much all the meat there is on them

the legs, thighs.. and a strip of meat along the spine.. on an adult you can scrape maybe a pound or so of meat off the breast (they don't have a keeled breast like a chicken.. so there isn't much breast meat to speak of) and the neck

most people will scrape the breast bone and add that to the strip from the spine to make about 3 pounds of ground emu.. with the neck being treated like oxtail in recipes.

They sell them in the 4H auction here too. There is only one processing plant in the area that does emu. But one of the ranch processors would probably do them too.

you can butcher the yearlings yourself.. better off with dispatching with a gunshot to the lungs since getting a clean head shot is harder to do.. electrocution is usually the preferred method that the commercial processors use.. but it's harder for the average homeowner to work with.. slitting the throat is just plain dangerous (though CAN be done).. it just puts you in closer range of flailing feet... so locally the ranchers just used a gun

then hung to bleed out.. and either skinned (if the pelt is to be saved) dry plucked (to save feathers) or scalded in a 55 gallon drum and wet plucked.
either way the skin is always removed for tanning.. fat is removed and clarified for emu oil.. then gutted and butchered for the cuts of meat...

there is very little waste when butchering an emu since every part can be used in one way or another.


the whole process takes two people a few hours to complete if they are set up properly for it..


lol.. I know this is a touchy subject for the emu "pet only" people.. but they have to realize that if it weren't for the commercial emu meat industry.. they would probably never have been able to own their emu as a pet.. and we also would have very little knowledge on feeding and vet care for them.. so in a sense they have a lot to thank the emu ranchers for.

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
yeah it is very similar to the velociraptors... it gave me flashbacks of the movie when I saw it the first time...

I have seen chickens attack a field mouse.. they have nothing on an angry emu when it comes to looking like a dino in action!

 

[karimw]

Quote:
Good info, yinepu, now maybe I can push this through to DH. We can only get more animals if they are edible BTW you convinced me to buy a Reptipro Incubator during last year's Cinco De Mayo hatch and I just love it!

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
Lol.. I have been accused of being on Reptipro's payroll before... come to think of it it WOULD be nice if I got a commission!

... oh Chris... are you out there reading this???

I'm glad you love yours. The Reptipro is my absolute favorite bator!

Emu are great for people who can handle them.. and who also realize that they can live for 25+ years. I love mine

(and I also love emu meat)

 

[superchemicalgirl]

just make sure he doesn't actually use Bleach
it will degrade the bone

once the flesh is removed by maceration or beetles (never boiled), the bones / skulls need to be de-greased for several weeks to several months depending on the type of skull and the fat content of the bone

then whitened with peroxide and heat (sunshine works fine)

then sealed with something that won't yellow or flake (i use Paraloid B-72)

BF got our fox this morning! Well, one of the foxes, anyway. But the one that's been coming back frequently no matter what we do to scare it off. It's gotten 2 ducks and 1 chicken recently.

Anyway, the Walther P22 took care of him today. BF bagged him up and I took him down the road to the skull guy when I got home from work. He said it would be at least 4 weeks and said he uses the sun to bleach it. At this point I don't care if the skull degrades a bit... I'm going to keep it for a few weeks and then mail it to my dad.

 

[yinepu]

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nice! Congrats!
i have several red fox and grey fox skulls... plus the entire skeleton of one.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

BF was pretty surprised how sharp the teeth were. I preferred not to look.

He also said it smelled like skunk. Not one of my favorite odors. I left it in the bag.

 

[yinepu]

BF was pretty surprised how sharp the teeth were. I preferred not to look.

He also said it smelled like skunk. Not one of my favorite odors. I left it in the bag.

lol.. probably released it's glands when it was shot... (dogs have those glands too.. just ask a vet or a groomer)

 

[HEChicken]

lol.. probably released it's glands when it was shot... (dogs have those glands too.. just ask a vet or a groomer)

Foxes do have a very distinctive odor. Last year I had a fox attack and in 45 minutes kill 14 birds. It made haste when I went out there, of course, but as I was cleaning up the mess, I was plagued by this odd smell all around the chicken yard. At that time I did not know it was a fox. The smell lingered through the next day. Around the same time of day the following day, I went out to find two more dead birds. That time I laid in wait and 20 or so minutes later, caught my first glimpse. A short time later, with the aide of .22LR, the pillage was over. That was when it all made sense - the odor I was smelling was that of the fox. Next time a fox visits, I will know it as I will never forget that smell.

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
yup.. they have scent glands.. they tend to express them when they are marking territory, excited.. or frightened

not nearly as strong as a full on skunk spray.. but still plenty noticeable

now I have also been around "pet" foxes (regular red and greys who have been captive bred).. bathed on a regular basis and not as prone to release the scent. the odor is still there.. but very slight as compared to their "wild" counterparts
but if one of the pet ones gets scared or hurt... the odor definitely gets a whole lot stronger when those glands are expressed.
many of the breeders will have them "surgically de-scented" when the kits are still young.. just to make them "more acceptable" as house pets.. other breeders don't bother, but do warn prospective owners of the gland issue.