The Emu
What
is an Emu? Emu is a large flightless bird, second
in size only to the ostrich. Native to Australia and
has been raised in North America since the 1930 s.
Australian Emus have been used for thier oil in
Australia for many years by the Aboriginals, and more
recently in skin care, shampoo etc. The first commercially
used birds were in 1995, before that it was a breeders
market. The significant uses of Emu
oil and leather were discovered during breeding.
Image above of a small baby Australian Emu
Emu ChicksChicks stand about 10 inches tall and have stripes like zebras, only beige and brown. These stripes will fade at 2 - 3 months of age. Chicks are very active right from the get go, running, tumbling, and rolling on their backs. Chicks will make a whistling sound until they are around a year old.Adults retain their gentle temperament they had as chicks, they are not flighty or aggressive, of course occasionally there is a few exceptions.
Adult Emus
They
reach their adult height of 5 -6 feet around a 12
to 14 months of age. There are no visible differences
between sexes. It has been said that there are five
sexes of these ratite birds: male, female, I think
its male, I think its female, and darn if I know.
Sexing them is hard when they are chicks but once
they reach a year the female emu will make a drumming
sound and the male will start making a guttural grunting
sound. Emus have 2 feathers coming from each quill
and are different shades of browns and blacks with
different levels of texture and softness from different
parts of the bird.
Emus
can weigh up to 150 pounds, live up to 35 years or
more, produce for 25 years, and lay 30 to 50 eggs
per season with some laying over 100 eggs in one Season.
The male in the wild will hatch the eggs and look
after the chicks. He will not eat much for the 48
to 53 days it takes to hatch his chicks. After the
female has laid a clutch for her mate she will sometimes
look for another male. Since she does not have to
look after all her young ones and if its early in
the season she will another lay a clutch for him to
hatch and then return to her first mate.
Emu Eggs
Emu Eggs
are very dark forest green in colour, almost black.
The texture of the egg is different for each bird.
Some are very smooth and some are pitted of bumpy
with a darker green. These differences make them fascinating
when they are carved for jewelry or painted, as well
as the fact the deeper they are carved the green can
change to several lighter shades. Emus usually lay
their eggs late afternoon or early evening. Each egg
can weigh up to 1 1/2 pounds. Most Emus do not mind
you collecting their eggs, which is good due their
size.
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