Q : I am going to be getting an Dromaius novaehollandiae soon through a saving agency . I have n’t been able to find a pot of information about emus online , and I was wondering if you had advice on proper housing , fencing and feed — in other wrangle , the basics on own one of these knockout .
A : Mom knew a lady in Wisconsin who rescued some emus from sure death . Emus used to be deserving thousands of clam each . When their value dropped , a not - so - nice breeder opened his gate and turned his emus out into the northerly Wisconsin woods to fend for themselves . Emus arrive from Australia where it ’s warm , and without supplementary food or tax shelter , the emus would have died when the winter set in . So this lady and her friends built a cow pen and lured the electromagnetic unit into it with food . Not all of the emus came , but some did . saver took them home and either kept the emus themselves or regain them newfangled homes .
Emu FencingWhen it comes to enhance Emu novaehollandiae , fencing material may be your biggest disbursement . Emus are giving bird — usually 110 to 150 pounds!—but they ’re teachable and can make great pets or livestock . To keep them , you ’ll need marvellous wire fences with openings that the emus ca n’t get their head gravel in , such as no - climb horse fencing . Emu stock breeder commend 6 - foot fences , as emus reach 5 to 6 feet marvelous at the top of the chief . They run at focal ratio of up to 40 mph , too , so if several gallop emus dig into a unconvincing fence , it ’s going down . Emus can also jump fair high and sometimes hook their toe in fence corner and curlicue across the top of the fencing . Make the emu pen as big as you could afford—1/8 to 1/4 Akka is recommend by the Texas Cooperative Extension Service while up to 2 acres is recommend by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension . Long , comparatively narrow pens are serious so they have elbow room to run .
Emu HousingYour Dromaius novaehollandiae shelter does n’t need to be fancy . A three - sided running - in shelter tall enough to fit an emu play well , as do alloy Quonset hovel design for pigs . It can also be in a booth in yourbarnor garage if it open up directly into the outdoor playpen .
Feeding EmusEmus enjoy a balanced diet , and you’re able to feed your emu a commercial emu solid food that can be found in shot or mash signifier . Protein content in feed vary between 16 and 22 percentage . If you ca n’t get that , commercial ratite food ( design to feed ostrich and rheas , too ) is OK , though it ’s somewhat high in protein for emus . Most major feed company make ratite feeds ; inquire your local provender shop if they can say emu feed for you .
Emus also swallow small rocks that appease in theirgizzardsand grind their food . Sometimes they inadvertently pick up shards of glass , bit of telegram , staple fibre or nail , which have gastrointestinal tract problems . Check your emu ’s living fourth often , making certain it ca n’t get a hold of severe things like that .
Disease - management in EmusEmus are hardy and disease - resistant , but they sometimes get intestinal worms . Many hoi polloi who keep emu dose their birds with ivermectin spread dewormer packaged for horses . Talk with your vet or an experient Emu novaehollandiae breeder to learn how , when and how much library paste to use .
Emu BehaviorEmus are soft and singular . They do , however , have strong claw on their foundation and they instinctively kick if they find threatened . Their claws can well rip through flesh , so take this to center when deal your bird .
Emus also peck at mass in a good - natured way , sometimes to get attention and sometimes when begging for intellectual nourishment . It can suffer but the emu typically entail no harm . Just watch what the emu is doing with its nib , and you ’ll be OK .
For more beneficial data about emus , check out Moira K. Wiley ’s clause , “ Emus on the Farm . ” A good way of life to get your on-going emu interrogation answered is to link theemufarm Yahoo Group .
Have an animal - related doubtfulness ? Send it to Martok athobbyfarms@bowtieinc.com , and include “ Ask Martok ” in the content .
