FRESH FERTILE EMU EGGS FOR HATCHING. AVAILABLE NOW!
FRESH FERTILE EMU EGGS FOR HATCHING. AVAILABLE NOW!
Did you know male and female emu make different sounds?
The sound made by males is similar to a pig’s grunt while females make booming sounds like a bass drum that can be heard a mile away.
Emu are the only birds with calf muscles.
What they lack in wing size (about the size of your hand) emus make up for with leg power! On top of the sheer size of their legs, a few special features help boost their strength. Emus are unique among all bird species, for example, in having a gastrocnemius. This powerful muscle, located on the b
Emu are the only birds with calf muscles.
What they lack in wing size (about the size of your hand) emus make up for with leg power! On top of the sheer size of their legs, a few special features help boost their strength. Emus are unique among all bird species, for example, in having a gastrocnemius. This powerful muscle, located on the back of the lower leg, forms part of what's known as the calf muscle in humans.
In nature it takes a male emu 60 days to hatch the eggs! That's right, it is the male that sits, hatches and cares for the chicks. During this time he doesn't move, even to eat or drink. He stays with the young for two years, defending them and teaching them how to find food.
Emu enjoy company from other emu best of course and thrive in a mob but can also bond with other barnyard species especially if raised with them. Keep in mind they can step on smaller birds and stomp on predators that enter their enclosure.
Emu feathers are like no other! Individual emu feathers have a loose and simple design. Just like hairs, feathers grow from follicles. Most birds have one feather per follicle, but the emu grows a double-shafted feather from each follicle. Barbs found on a typical bird feather are closely knit, but an emu feather’s barbs are widely spaced
Emu feathers are like no other! Individual emu feathers have a loose and simple design. Just like hairs, feathers grow from follicles. Most birds have one feather per follicle, but the emu grows a double-shafted feather from each follicle. Barbs found on a typical bird feather are closely knit, but an emu feather’s barbs are widely spaced and don't have the usual hooks that attach to the other barbs. Instead, each barb hangs loosely and gives emu feathers a hairlike appearance. Other ratites share this feathery design. Emu feathers are less water-resistant than other birds' feathers. Its tail feathers are not so soft. Instead, they are stiff, and the bird can rattle them to scare off predators, such as dingoes. When shaken they sound similar to a maraca!
The Australian Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) has protective nictating membranes on its eyes. The membrane over each eye protects them from dust.
Nictating means blinking. The eye membrane is called a third eyelid, or a haw, or a plica semilunaris, or a membrana nictitans.
A nictating membrane is a transparent or translucent eyelid. The
The Australian Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) has protective nictating membranes on its eyes. The membrane over each eye protects them from dust.
Nictating means blinking. The eye membrane is called a third eyelid, or a haw, or a plica semilunaris, or a membrana nictitans.
A nictating membrane is a transparent or translucent eyelid. The eyelid membrane not only protects the eye from dust, it also moistens the eye and cleans away any dust or dirt.
Normal upper and lower eyelids move up and down. The emu’s nictating eyelid moves horizontally, side to side, across the eyeball. It moves from the inside edge of the eye to the outside edge of the eye.
Emus have been living in Australia for a very long time. Their ancestors, the Dromornithids, roamed the land when Dinosaurs lived; and they are even thought by some scientists to be “Living Dinosaurs”, as they have many similar or even identical features to their Dinosaur relatives!
We are a small hobby farm nestled in Donaldson Arkansas where we raise our beloved mixed mob of emu. We consider all of our emu as pets and think they can make an excellent addition to almost any farm. They are beautiful, comical, and an overall joy to own! Laying season is October-March. Emu are one-of-a-kind and have brought our family years of joy, love and laughter! Our farm is our home and is not open to the public.
📌We are not planning to hatch this season but have proven fertile emu eggs available for hatching from our genetically diverse mixed mob. Our current laying mob consists of standard and blonde emu. They are a beautiful, friendly mob that produce eggs for both standard color and blonde chicks.
To better understand these exotic birds value, it is important to consider that emu are not native here and actually were not imported from Australia into the US until the 1930's and 40's. In 1960 Australia put a strict exportation ban on emu crossing the border. Commercial emu farming did not begin here until the late 1980's. They are not like poultry that lay eggs after just a couple of months of feeding and caring for them and should not be considered as such. It takes at least 18 months and is generally around 2-3 years for these large birds to produce eggs and they do not lay year round.
📌I encourage you to do your own research and hatch how you see fit, but I do like to share what works for us❤️
Set up your incubator in advance to make sure it is stable. Have a plan for power outages in case they occur. After getting home with your egg(s) set in a safe secure dry place for 24-48 hrs. Do not wash them or get them wet. They need to be at room temperature before adding to incubator. Commonly used incubators to hatch emu eggs include Hova-bator styrofoam, Dickeys cabinet or gqf cabinet incubators. Acceptable temp 97.0-97.5 Low humidity 25%-35% never over 35%! You may achieve this by adding very little to no water at all. If you need to add water do it a small amount at a time and adjust accordingly (you can use small medicine cups or coffee cups). I wouldn't pour water in a styrofoam incubator, instead sit a small cup inside. Don't rely solely on the incubator temp/humidity setting. Night and day humidity will be different so be aware of that. Use a couple accurate thermometers/hygrometers including a mercury thermometer inside the incubator. For peace of mind I like GoVee smart hygrometers that alert you if your temp/humidity get out of range. Emu eggs cannot be candled. Never float test. Hand turn (even if you have an auto turner) 3-5 times a day (always odd number of times). 90 degrees to the right 1st then 90 degrees back to the left and so on back and forth resulting in a 180 degree turn. You can put an A on one side and a B on the other, mark an arrow pointing to the right with a China marker or chalk on the egg to remind you which way to turn. This mimicks the natural rocking motion. The eggs are never turned a full 360 in nature. Be patient. You may see movement from egg at 35-38 days if you whistle to it. It takes 49-52 days average or sometimes even up to 60+ depending on what temp you are incubating at. Turn off auto turner at day 48 but continue to hand turn until they internally pip (if you hear whistling they have pipped) Fresh air is important! Leave ALL possible vents open. Open and close the incubator several times a day to allow fresh air in. Please note they will be getting fresh air exchange every time you open the incubator door to hand turn them. Never help a chick out of the shell this is very important. Patience is key. It can take 1-3 days from internal to external pip and 24hrs after that to hatch completely. They need that time to gain strength and absorb the yolk sac which will keep them nourished up to 5 days after hatching. You can save the shell membrane (white part) to send off for dna sex testing.
Newly hatched chicks will be wobbly and should not be offered food or water for the first 2 days, they will continue to get nutrients from the yolk sac for up to 5 days. Clean umbilical area carefully with iodine on a q-tip. After 2 days old offer blended kale/cabbage and carrots floating in water and 18% UNmedicated chick crumble with Rooster Booster mineral pellets and ground up alfalfa based rabbit pellets. Vitamin B12 (sublingual liquid human version with no xylitol added to water, just a few drops enough to tint water). You can offer shredded apple, banana, strawberries, diced carrots and peas after 2 wks. Use heavy dish or bowls they can't easily fall in, slip in or knock over. They scoop to drink so regular poultry waterers do not work well, they are too shallow. NON slick surfaces at all times! Slipped tendons can happen and is very hard to correct. Heat lamp on one side until feathered. Keep safe from predators including family pets and small children, they cannot defend themselves. Cushioned flat surface (not concrete). They need enough room to exercise those legs as they grow. They poop alot, it can be semi-solid to an all out splat which is perfectly normal. Transition from chick crumbles to layer pellets between 3-6 months old. Continue rabbit pellets, Rooster Booster mineral pellets, fruits and vegetables.
-Feed: Juvenile and adult diet can consist of chkn pellets transitioned to layer pellets, alfalfa based rabbit pellets, mini chunk dog food, chkn scratch, black oil sunflower seeds, mealworms, Rooster Booster mineral pellets, frozen/fresh fruits and vegetables. Mine love frozen peas/carrots and blueberries. They also forage grass/insects all day long
-Temperament: Our emu have always been friendly, each with different personalities, very curious by nature, and have never been mean or aggressive. They can range from very affectionate in your pocket type to more shy or reserved.
-Emu love all weather conditions and are very hardy in rain, sleet, snow, ice and hot humid summers
-Emu are typically full grown around 12-14 mths old and will be around 5-6ft tall
-Adequate fencing: (suggested 5'-6') *You can achieve this by adding taller T post to existing fencing with regular wire, board or string (something visual) at the top. Again, predator proof as much as possible. An emu will have no desire to "run away" from his family and home unless something was chasing it
-Toxic substances: teflon (cookware) fumes, air fresheners, medicated chick feed, goat feed high in copper, dewormers, advacado, black walnut trees, baited mice, lawn fertilizer, wild
cherry, stone fruit trees, nightshade,
hemlock, pokeweed, azaleas, bracken fern
creeping indigo, sago palms, fireweed and some mushrooms. Your local co op should have a list of toxic
plant species in your area
-Poop: emu both pee and poop from their cloaca. Consistency can range from semi firm to an all out splat, which is perfectly normal
-They love all shiny things, be mindful of your earrings/jewelry or small pieces of metal
-Emu are naturally parasite resistant. In heavy horse populated areas you can choose to vaccinate for EEE, Equine Encephalitis or West Nile Virus.
-Always introduce new emu to existing mob slowly, especially with adults. Keep them separate but where they can see each other for several weeks and be prepared to separate if necessary. Having multiple feed, water and cover areas is extremely helpful.
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