Shortcuts for Raising Emus No 1: Eggs and Chicks
Raising emus can be demanding but there are certain techniques that can have a HUGE positive effect on the rancher AND the bird! Starting with the egg and going forward...
Emu Eggs: Emus lay in the winter starting around October and going through March.
A hen may lay 20 eggs, or as many as 50.
They lay every three days, and late in the evening.
If possible, it is best to collect the eggs about two hours after dark.
This will prevent birds from accidentally damaging the eggs with their toenails etc.
Its very common to find holes in eggs that have been punched by their toenails because the birds lay mostly along fence lines and in corners.
Eggs can be stored up to 4 - 5 weeks if they are kept around 50 degrees.
Some ranchers use a wine cooler for this.
Wine coolers work perfectly because they can keep a higher temperature than a fridge.
The actual embryo (on a fertile egg) is only a dark spec on the yolk at first.
As it is incubated, the embryo develops into a chick from the egg white.
The chick forms around the yolk and it is inside the chick when it hatches.
The chick lives off the yolk the first few days and doesn't need water or feed.
Both need to be available, but the chick does have the necessary nourishment at first.
Eggs are made for protecting the chick inside and the design is quite effective.
They are difficult to get into, and easy to get out of by design.
The chick breaks through the shell by twisting its beak to the side over and over till the shell weakens and breaks.
You can actually hear the chicks chirping from inside the egg a couple of days before hatching! Handling Emu Chicks: Chicks that have just hatched need to be left in the hatcher for about 12 to 24 hours before being moved to a brooder box.
A brooder box is a long box (6 feet or so), narrow and can be made from plywood.
It just needs heat available at one end.
This way the chicks can get close to the heat if they need to, or they can move away to a comfortable distance they prefer.
The brooder box also needs to have feed (crumble) and water available.
The chicks can stand and walk around in the brooder box and this is good for them.
The sooner after hatching, the better.
In nature, they would be walking around immediately.
They should be moved to the barn after a day or so.
The best barn arrangement is small "cubicles" about 8' x 8'.
There needs to be heat available here too..
Heat lamps are best and probably the safest.
We hang three 250 watt heat lamps in each cubicle and our barn has six cubicles.
Here, the chicks can actually run around a little and get proper exercise.
When you give them access to the outdoors, do it a little at a time so they can find their way in and out of the barn.
Each cubicle should have a narrow "run" extending out about60 to 80 feet.
At first give them only six to eight feet of the run, and add ten feet or so every few days.
Giving them more of the run gradually makes it possible for the chicks learn how to go back inside the barn on their own before dark.
The "runs" can easily be made from plastic panels made from PVC.
They can be picked up at the end of the season so cleaning of the area is easier.
Again, shortcuts make it better for the rancher AND the birds!
Emu Eggs: Emus lay in the winter starting around October and going through March.
A hen may lay 20 eggs, or as many as 50.
They lay every three days, and late in the evening.
If possible, it is best to collect the eggs about two hours after dark.
This will prevent birds from accidentally damaging the eggs with their toenails etc.
Its very common to find holes in eggs that have been punched by their toenails because the birds lay mostly along fence lines and in corners.
Eggs can be stored up to 4 - 5 weeks if they are kept around 50 degrees.
Some ranchers use a wine cooler for this.
Wine coolers work perfectly because they can keep a higher temperature than a fridge.
The actual embryo (on a fertile egg) is only a dark spec on the yolk at first.
As it is incubated, the embryo develops into a chick from the egg white.
The chick forms around the yolk and it is inside the chick when it hatches.
The chick lives off the yolk the first few days and doesn't need water or feed.
Both need to be available, but the chick does have the necessary nourishment at first.
Eggs are made for protecting the chick inside and the design is quite effective.
They are difficult to get into, and easy to get out of by design.
The chick breaks through the shell by twisting its beak to the side over and over till the shell weakens and breaks.
You can actually hear the chicks chirping from inside the egg a couple of days before hatching! Handling Emu Chicks: Chicks that have just hatched need to be left in the hatcher for about 12 to 24 hours before being moved to a brooder box.
A brooder box is a long box (6 feet or so), narrow and can be made from plywood.
It just needs heat available at one end.
This way the chicks can get close to the heat if they need to, or they can move away to a comfortable distance they prefer.
The brooder box also needs to have feed (crumble) and water available.
The chicks can stand and walk around in the brooder box and this is good for them.
The sooner after hatching, the better.
In nature, they would be walking around immediately.
They should be moved to the barn after a day or so.
The best barn arrangement is small "cubicles" about 8' x 8'.
There needs to be heat available here too..
Heat lamps are best and probably the safest.
We hang three 250 watt heat lamps in each cubicle and our barn has six cubicles.
Here, the chicks can actually run around a little and get proper exercise.
When you give them access to the outdoors, do it a little at a time so they can find their way in and out of the barn.
Each cubicle should have a narrow "run" extending out about60 to 80 feet.
At first give them only six to eight feet of the run, and add ten feet or so every few days.
Giving them more of the run gradually makes it possible for the chicks learn how to go back inside the barn on their own before dark.
The "runs" can easily be made from plastic panels made from PVC.
They can be picked up at the end of the season so cleaning of the area is easier.
Again, shortcuts make it better for the rancher AND the birds!