Emus have a life expectancy of about 10-20 years in the wild and 35+ years in captivity. The oldest emu in the world was claimed to be 58 in 2020.
Emu are livestock, you do not need a special license to own them in Arkansas.
Our emus eat between 1-2 lbs a day, depending on the season.
We can tell our emu apart by their personalities and how they look but it can be tricky if you have several or haven't had them long. If you know your chicks' gender you can easily put a leg band on them when they are really little. But, as we've mentioned before emu chicks grow extremely fast and it's very important that you not let it get too tight. Another way of marking on an adolescent or adult would be safe Cattle paint. You can lift them where their feathers are lighter in color and apply paint there. This will deter others from pecking at colored feathers as well. Just reapply as needed.
We have never fed Ratite feed because it has been recognized for having higher fiber, iron, copper and zinc than emus require (because it was originally formulated for ostriches). If you choose to feed Ratite feed, it is important to add an extruded alfalfa-based rabbit pellet to aid in their digestion.
We could write a book on this but to keep it simple, emu are just special! They are hardy and easy keepers. Emus are curious, quirky, unique, and docile. Not only have they completely stolen our hearts but they are a species that offer many benefits to their environment! They help spread seeds, promote the germination of new plants, and keep large amounts of pesky insects away.
Getting your chick home safely is the first very important step in your chicks care. Chicks can be anywhere from (around) 1 lb and 10" tall at hatch. They grow fast and can be 1.5-2.5 lbs and around 15-20" tall at 3 weeks old. Make sure you have something tall enough so they can stand if they want to and of course, don't forget the floor needs to be non-slip. Wire cages can be dangerous if they stick their necks or legs through. An enclosed med-large animal carrier is best with a non-slip rug, carpet, or mat cut to fit the bottom. Cardboard boxes (tall enough) with proper ventilation and flooring work just fine as well. Food/water while en route is not recommended if only traveling for a few hours.
Because of their fast growth rate, raising emu chicks that are different ages can be challenging. It is common for emu farmers to store eggs just like males do in nature and hatch in clutches. Not only does this make it easier to care for chicks but also promotes stimulation during the hatching process and with eating, drinking and exercising after hatch. This requires storing eggs for several weeks. Per The Emu Owners Handbook the recommended temperature for emu egg storage (for the standard practice of no longer than 4 weeks) is 40-60 degrees. Recommended storage temps for extended storage is 40-50 degrees. Humidity is not much of a concern because of their large size and thick shells that protect against excessive weight loss due to evaporation.
Emu eggs are not hard to hatch but they do require special incubating conditions compared to other eggs. Optimal temperature and humidity must be respected and followed along with adequate ventilation. Most embryonic death is due to mishandling of eggs (contamination/improper turning), temperature spikes or inadequate airflow.
EMU HATCHABILITY & SURVIVABILITY written by - John Southern, Toney, Alabama
You need to know that fertility rates and hatchability rates are not 100% in
even the most healthy of pairs and best of environments. I've developed a very
large database on such statistics using statistics of large numbers which I share
with my friends as the best known source of such data in existence. In fact l've incorporated it into a class that I teach at American Emu Association meetings occasionally called "Pricing for Profit". The bottom line is that under the best of
conditions you should expect typical result rates as:
Fertility Rate (for all eggs): 86.5%
Hatchability Rate (of the fertile eggs): 90.0%
Livability to 90 days (of those that hatch): 90.0%
Livability to Market (of those that make it past 90 days): 96.0%.
These are dependent probability numbers so you simply multiply them together to get survival rates. They are also based on the statistics of large numbers so although when dealing with small quantities you may get different results for any particular case, on average these numbers are pretty good. I know of none better.
These percentiles predict:
Only 85 out of every 100 eggs laid are fertile in the first place.
Of the fertile eggs (85 eggs *90%=76.5) or 76 or 77 eggs can be expected to hatch.
Of those eggs that do hatch, (76.5 9=68. 85) only 68 or 69 can be expected to survive to 90 days.
Of those that survive past 90 days (68. 85*. 96=66. 09) only 66 can be expected to survive to market age 15 Months.
So a very excellent yield would be 2 out of 3 eggs producing a marketable bird from a healthy flock with good incubation and hatching techniques. You should expect that first learners' yields would be somewhat lower as humidity variations
poor circulation, uneven heat, contaminated handling etc all take a toll.
Somewhere in my distant past I picked up a number of only 15% of the eggs laid
in the wild are expected to survive.
A 67% expected survivors on a modern farm with today's technology in feed and tools "ain't too bad!"
written by - John Southern, Toney, Alabama
You can choose to weigh your hatching eggs to make sure they are losing weight appropriately. An emu egg should lose 13%-17% of its weight over the entire incubation period. If you notice that your egg weight loss is too much then you may need to increase humidity; or vice versa. If the weight loss measures are erratic then it may be because your humidity level has been fluctuating and need to be monitored closely. Smoother eggs may lose less weight than more dimpled eggs, which are more porous. You can apply tape to help those eggs that might be losing too quickly. Unfortunately, weight loss is not an indicator of viability because even "quitters" will lose weight. But, by weighing eggs and hatching at the required temp and humidity to lose the appropriate amount of weight you are giving it the best chance to hatch a healthy chick. If optimal conditions are not provided, including proper turning and adequate ventilation, there is a much greater chance for chick malpositioning, abnormalities, deformities, leg splay, slipped tendons, rotational disorders, or death.