What does it take to take care of an Ostriche Emu or Rhea?

[painteddream]

We are thinking about getting couple of large birds in the near future. what are there needs. thanks

 

[yinepu]

We are thinking about getting couple of large birds in the near future. what are there needs. thanks

tame adults, wildish adults or chicks?

they all need good secure fences.. chicks would need protection from predators since they don't have their dad to watch over them
even adults should be protected from predators even though during the day an adult emu can be pretty rough on strange animals

for food.. some people use specially made emu feed.. others like myself opt for layer pellets mixed with rabbit pellets along with fresh vegetables.. there are several threads here dedicated to feeding.. so you may want to look them up

emus aren't known for using shelters.. they like to play in the rain and mud.. so if you provide them with shelter they probably won't use it.. however for chicks having a secure place to lock them up at night would be a plus.. you also have to consider any animal laws in your area.. some consider emus to be livestock and don't require buildings as shelters.. so since I don't know where you live I really can't advise any on that

if they are "pets" you should socialize them as much as possible.. getting them used to any other animals you have is also a good idea since an adult emu can easily kill a dog, cat or poultry if they don't recognize them as family
if you are raising them for meat it's more important that you have secure fences to keep any other animals you have out of their area

if you are getting babies or tame adults make sure you can handle them and make sure they get used to having their legs and necks touched in case you ever need to have any vet work done on them..

the only other thing I can think of at the moment is that emus love to chase things.. and nothing that is shiny is ever safe around them.. they are faster than you are.. so jewelry, car keys, screws and the like can be gobbled up faster than you can grab it

there is also a link here for downloading the Emu Farmer's Handbook.. it's a good read and is highly recommended

hope this helps a little

 

[painteddream]

Thank you