Feed: Emu Farming - AggScore: 7.1

Common Sense In Emu Farming

Taking the time to devise a well thought out business plan as road map could only benefit your emu farming. 

Most of the authorities on emus may suggest that you should feed emus two times a day, in order to monitor how much or how little is being eaten. While this strategy may seem sensible from a human perspective, it fails to accommodate the nature of the emu itself. In most situations where emus share a food source, the dominant birds in the flock will overfeed, allowing little to remain for the benefit of lesser members of the group. When, however, their pen is equipped with a feeder that replenishes itself once emptied, there is a far better chance of all birds gaining the most nutrition from their food source. Emus eat a variety of food, such as leafy vegetables, cereal, grain and grass. In nature, they are not averse to snacking on lizards, snakes, insects, worms or even rodents. 

Although they have the ability to inflict serious injury when threatened, most emu act inquisitively towards humans. Power struggles occur mainly between females to establish dominance. You can expect to see some of it, when integrating two groups of emu of different ages that had not been raised together.  If you do meet a threatening emu, try the following strategy. Lift your arm high above your head. Since you will now appear larger than the emu, it may back down.  If you do have an emu that persistently acts with rage, you may need to have it euthanized. 

Emus can thrive in different types of climate regions, but they are particularly well designed to withstand hot weather. 

Disease could cause serious damage to the investment of your emu farm, therefore you should take all the precautions necessary to prevent its spread. Quarantine birds that are ill or may be disease carriers away from the rest of your flock and destroy the straw used by emus that may have died under suspicious circumstances. Monitor your flock regularly and prevent pets and other birds from entering their area. 

A lesser-known commodity harvested from emus and used in the manufacture of jewellery are the nails of the three-toed emu. Although there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support the perception, many people do consider emu oil as beneficial, claiming it to be moisturizing and anti-inflammatory. emu meat contains lower levels of cholesterol than many other types of meat. 

Other than Australia, emu farming is now practiced in various other countries such as the USA, China and India, where over 1000 farms can be found. 

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Introduction To Emu Farming

Emu farming first began in the same place where emus come from, the continent of Australia. One of the very first emu farms to be set up during the 1970s has been that of the Venns of Toodyay, near Perth. Their initial stock had been around one hundred emus. The enterprise outstripped their highest expectations and quickly began to thrive. Emus are easy-going and highly adaptable. They need considerably less land than sheep and a large variety of related commodities can be derived from them. These include meat, feathers, oil, eggs and leather. Emu oil is used in the manufacture of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Responding to public interest in emu farming, they now also accommodate visitors with regular tours of the facility. 

Originally from Australia, the emu is a cousin of the ostrich, and both are members of the ratite family. It is the second largest of all living birds. Although not quite as sought after as those of the ostrich, there is a definite market for the soft brown feathers of the emu. It can reach the height of 6.6 ft (2m) and flee from predators at a speed of 31 miles (50km) per hour. The chief threats to its existence in the wild are the dingo, the eagle and the hawk. Since it is flightless, it is often bested by those raptors despite its advantage in size. There were once five subspecies of emu, but the King Island and Tasmanian Emu have died out. Three regional subspecies remain. 

When the Dutch discovered Australia, and the emu along with it, they called it the New Holland Cassowary, since they had already encountered the cassowary in New Guinea. The name emu came ironically from an Arabian word for the cassowary and was first used by Portuguese explorers. The current number of emu in Australia stands somewhere between 625,000 and 725,000. 

Different strategies will nurture different outcomes. Deciding whether you want to increase your emu population as quickly as possible may dictate one plan of action, while a stronger concentration on the genetic quality of your breeders may lead to other decisions. If you divide your emus into pairs or trios, you will be able to exert greater control over who breeds with whom. On the other hand, a larger group of males and females may show a quicker increase in numbers. You could run a fairly efficient operation on as little as 5 acres of land. Arranging your emu pens around a central point would allow for the most economic utilization of water and energy resources. 

Study the successes of others and incorporate these into your own emu farming plans. 

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Breeding Strategies In Emu Farming

The prime focus of any emu farming business should be livestock expansion and the emu breeds in the winter months. It is the shortened day cycle that serves to activate the fertility of the females. In Australia, which is in the southern hemisphere, this means that they mate between April and September. 

Emus are often bred in threesomes. The arrangement works quite well if the alpha female comes into season first. If the beta hen is ready prior to the senior one, you may see some infertile eggs in her first produce, as the male will not breed with the beta hen, before completing his duties with the alpha hen. In larger groups with several males together, all females may get their share of breeding opportunities, but the social arrangement may provoke considerable aggression from the alpha hen. The first eggs are laid about 51 days after mating and they hatch approximately 8 weeks later. A seasoned female may produce between 25 and 35 eggs per breeding cycle. In nature the male emu incubates the young, abstaining from food and water until they hatch. emu eggs are distinctively dark green and new hatchlings are striped for the first 3 months, after which they develop the brown plumage of adults. Young emus sport feathers on their neck as well, but this grows sparse as they mature, revealing the characteristic bluish-green skin of the neck. 

An emu hatchling will have reached its full size around the age of six months, but will only mate during the following year’s breeding cycle. The emu female is usually larger than the emu male. An emu has a life expectancy of at least 20 years.

When raising emu chicks, you will need to monitor their health and well-being on a daily basis. Their feed, water and surroundings should be kept hygienic and the heating in their environment needs to function properly. Avoid slippery surfaces and water containers deep enough to drown them. Do not raise them singly but do not make the group of chicks too large either. If they have no interaction with others of their kind, they may fail to bond and mate when it is breeding time.

A number of signs will reveal that breeding occurs or may be eminent. The male bird will begin to rub himself compulsively against any available fencing. You will see more loose feathers about the emu pen than usual. Ruffled or broken tail feathers on the female as well as new re-growth of feathers on the neck should also be viewed as evidence. The male often pecks the female’s neck during intercourse. The emu pen should also be a little noisier than normal, with more grunting from the male and booming from the female.

A successful breeding programme that produces healthy chicks time after time forms the key to a good emu farming operation. 

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Practical Tips For Emu Farmers

There are a number of aspects to bear in mind to make your emu farming venture as efficient as possible. 

The general recommendation when it comes to feeding emus is to load a fresh supply twice daily. This practice makes it easy to see how much was consumed, but not who did the consuming. Since each group of emus sharing feed quickly establishes its own pecking order, you will inevitably find that the food does not get evenly distributed. Alphas will gorge themselves, leaving little for secondary members of the group. 

Using a self-loading feeder will remove some of the anxious frenzy from feeding time and enable even the lower ranking emus to get sufficient portions. 

Emus graze on grass and also eat cereal, grain, pulses and leafy vegetables. In the wild, they consume flowers, insects, caterpillars, lizards, snakes and mice. Blister beetles, which are attracted to the nutritional alfalfa, may be hazardous to emu young if ingested. Pigweed can also be harmful.

Towards humans, emus are generally friendly and curious in nature. You may however encounter the odd aggressive ratite. 

There is a relatively simple way to confront an emu that adopts a tall stance of dominance. Raise your arm to appear taller than it. It is natural for emu to establish their status within the flock and they may include you in such struggles to determine the pecking order. 

Some situations may trigger aggressive reactions. Pasturing two groups over the age of 12 weeks together may see a few power struggles. 

Emus can also react aggressively to other age groups and this is particularly true of the dominant females. A bird that is permanently aggressive may need to be put down.

Emus adapt well to a variety of climates, but their respiratory system allows them to withstand high temperatures. 

To limit the incidence of disease, keep a close eye on the health of all emus and investigate any unexplained deaths. 

A quarantine area should exist away from the other birds. Limit the access of pets and other types of birds that may be carriers of disease. Burn the bedding of emus that may have died from infectious disease.  Fortunately, emus do show a natural resistance to disease, which must surely be one reason for the growing popularity of emu farming.

A lesser known product derive from emus are the nails, which is polished and refined before being used in items such as jewellery. 

Emu oil is used in both pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. It is believed to be moisturizing and anti-inflammatory, and promotes the speedy healing of burns and wounds. 

Being low in cholesterol, emu meat is recommended for sufferers of heart disease.

Besides Australia, emu farming has spread to a number of other countries, which include China, India, which has around 1000 emu farms and the USA. 

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A Few Guidelines To Emu Farming

emu farming originated in Australia and one of the oldest emu farms is situated in Toodyay, which is not far from Perth. The owners, Kip and Charmian Venn began the venture in the mid 1970s with about a hundred emus. They soon discovered that their charges proved far more profitable than those of the surrounding sheep farmers and required only half the acreage. 

Emus are less picky about their grazing than sheep and a number of products, ranging from meat, leather, feathers, eggs and oil can be harvested from emus. The farm now offers tours to around 3000 visitors annually and plays an important role in the Western Emu co-operative, set up to market emu products. 

Emu oil is believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidating properties.

The Emu, a native of Australia, is the second largest bird after the ostrich. Both of these belong to the ratite family and are now farmed for a wide range of products. Distinguished by their soft brown feathers, a height of up to 6.6 ft (or 2m), the emu is known for running at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour (or 50km) and for its lethally effective kick. 

Its natural enemies are predators such as the dingo, the eagle and the hawk. Being unable to fly, it is largely defenceless against the latter two. 

Two subspecies, the King Island and Tasmanian Emu are now extinct, but three others remain. a darker subspecies in the Southwest, a subspecies that displays a distinctive white ruff during mating and a third variety, paler and more slender, which is found in the northern parts of Australia. 

Dutch colonists to Australia first named it the New Holland Cassowary, but it later came to be known as the emu, a word used by Arabs and Portuguese sailors to describe the cassowary. 

It is estimated that Australia now has an emu population of between 625,000 and 725,000 birds.

How you accommodate your emu flock may be determined by the ultimate goals of your breeding programme. If you plan to improve your livestock through a sharp focus on genetics, you should breed your emus in pairs rather than leaving them in a group camp. 

You do not need much land for an emu farm. An area of between 5 and 10 acres may be adequate, and this can be subdivided into breeder pens of about 30′ by 100′.  

One successful emu farmer recommends a circular layout, shaped like roughly like a wagon wheel that allows you to centralize water and electricity arrangements. It also makes it easier to accommodate partial shelter in the pens.

These guidelines should already provide a little insight into the world of emu farming.

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Emu Chick Care In The Incubator

All animals have a few basic needs at birth, and an emu is no exception:

• Correct feed
• Sufficient water
• Warmth
• Exercise
• Sunshine

The absorbed yolk sac will provide for the basic nutritional needs for the first few days, but the chick needs to be provided with a warm and safe environment, especially for its first few days.

In the Hatcher

Once the chick has hatched, it can be left in the hatcher for 12 – 24 hours. Weaker birds are better left in the warmth and safety of the hatcher for a longer period, whereas stronger birds can stay for a much shorter period. Once a chick becomes active, and the chick’s navel is nicely closed, it is time for the move to the brooder. No food or water needs to be provided in the hatcher.

Once hatched, swab the chick’s navel with Betadine or an iodine solution, to prevent bacteria from entering the chick through the navel. If a portion of the yolk sac is still protruding from the navel, rather cover with an antiseptic ointment, and gently push the yolk in through the navel.

A rubber mat can be too slippery for a new born chick, and it might be advisable to place a small towel or cloth in the bottom of the hatcher, to assist the chick in moving around without hurting itself.

Remove all eggshells promptly, and clean with a disinfectant after each chick has hatched.

For other alternative farming subjects, you can also check out ostrich farming, alpaca farming, rabbit farming and deer farming.

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Problems That May Arise When Hatching Emu Eggs

If an egg fails to hatch, it is advisable to open the egg, to check what caused the problem.

Look out for the following:

Is the egg fertilised? Sometimes the egg was fertilised, but the chick only grew for a day or two, and then stopped growing. This can be seen by if the placenta started forming. Are there blood vessels on the membrane? If there are, the egg was fertilised, even if you cannot see the chick yet.

Sometimes a chick can be seen, but is still very small, or half way developed.

Some chicks will develop until very close to hatch, and then die.

It is important to note what the chick died from. This is another good reason to keep good records. If the egg was fertilised, but then the egg froze or became too hot, the embryo will probably not survive. This will be seen as a fertilised egg (blood vessels) but did not develop. If this is the case, remember to bring in all eggs as soon as possible, to prevent a future occurrence.

If the chick died at an early stage, look at the chick. Has the chick developed well, or are there signs of malformation? If the chick was developing well, and then it suddenly died, it could be due to any of the following:

• A lack of oxygen or airflow (malfunctioning fan, stale air in the room / incubator)
• Disease or bacteria came into contact with the egg
• Too large fluctuations in temperature (Is the thermostat malfunctioning?)
• Not enough or too much humidity
• Carbon dioxide build-up (Not good airflow)
• The egg could have developed a crack, during turning, or storage.
• Eggs were not turned often enough – in this case the yolk could be stuck to the shell, and could have ruptures)
• Nutritional deficiencies in breeder birds.

For other alternative farming subjects, you can also check out ostrich farming, alpaca farming, rabbit farming and deer farming.

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The Hatching Emu Eggs

Although there is a temptation to check on the hatching chicks all the time, it is better to allow nature to take its course. Check on the eggs in the early morning and again in the late afternoon. This should prove to be sufficient. It will also prevent the eggs from becoming to cold and getting cold drafts, by opening the hatcher too often. Once the chick has broken through the membrane into the airspace, the chick starts breathing via his lungs, and no longer through the shell and through the placenta. The chick will start scrabbling inside the egg, and even begin chirping. The chick will firstly make a hole in the shell, by pushing with the back of the neck. A nice round hole usually results from this pushing. The chick will then rest for a few hours, or even for up to a day. After this he will start bracing himself against the egg using his feet and neck. The small hole will become much bigger, and crack more. Then the chick will push and scramble out of the egg, and recover from the hatching.

Usually all the struggling and straining helps the chick to fully absorb the yolk before it hatches. If the yolk is not fully absorbed, or the navel well closed, this needs to be rectified gently. If the yolk is still protruding, it needs to be gently pushed in through the naval. This needs to be done quickly, as the naval will begin contracting and closing as soon as the chick cools down. If the yolk has not been fully absorbed by this time, the chick will become infected in the yolk, as it dries out, and it will die. Therefore sterilise your fingers, and quickly and firmly push in the yolk. Gently swab the area with Betadine. The chick is normally damp at hatch, but quickly dries off.

It is important to note at this point that chicks are hatched either wet or dry, with dry being the most desirable. A wet chick indicates that the egg has not lost enough moisture in the incubation period. A dry chick is one that has dried completely within a minute or two of hatch. A wet chick is one that has not lost enough moisture in the incubation period, and has difficulty in absorbing the yolk sac. To correct wet chick syndrome, lower the humidity in the incubator.

Assisted hatch

If the chick has sounded, but after a day or two has still not managed to make a hole in the shell, the chick will suffocate. This is when an assisted hatch becomes necessary. But timing of the assisted hatch is crucial: Move in to help too fast, and the placenta will not have dried off completely yet, and the blood vessels will still be open into the placenta. If the membrane is then ripped, the chick will bleed – often to death. Infection can also easily come in. On the other hand, if you wait too long, it could be too late, and the chick will suffocate and die in the egg.

To assist a chick, listen to the egg when tapped, looking for a hollow spot. Using a small screwdriver, make a small hole in the egg, to provide oxygen to the chick. If the chick struggles to get out of the shell, it would be better to break away a portion of the shell, to assist. Be careful not to damage the membrane, until you can see for sure that the membrane has started to dry out – it will become browner in color, and more brittle to the touch.

A chick that is malpositioned – that is, with the head facing away from the air sac – will also suffocate if not assisted. Again, if you suspect a malpositioned chick, make a small opening, and check on the position of the chick. Open a small hole close to the beak, if the chick is indeed malpositioned.

Whatever the reason for opening the egg, the hole can drain all moisture out of the eggs. If the chick is still quite a way from hatching, close the hole with a porous tape, like masking tape, and check on the egg regularly

For other alternative farming subjects, you can also check out ostrich farming, alpaca farming, rabbit farming and deer farming.

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Preparing The Incubator And Hatcher For The Emu Eggs

Before placing the eggs in the incubator, it needs to be cleaned well, and sprayed well with a disinfectant. Fumigating after the disinfectant is also a good idea. Mix 1 part formaldehyde to 10 parts water and spray inside the incubator, ensuring that you do not breathe in the spray. Allow to stand open for 12 – 24 hours, with good ventilation. It is a good idea to fumigate even a brand new incubator, as micro-organisms could be growing inside.

Turn on the incubator, and check it every hour over the next few days. It is a good idea to have a thermometer that shows minimum and maximum readings. This way you will be able to see what fluctuations take place in the heat of the incubator. Also check the heat in different places in the incubator, to check if the heat is distributed evenly.

Check that the automatic or manual turner is working.

Once you are satisfied that everything is running well, you can begin placing eggs in the incubator.

The hatcher is treated exactly the same.

Placing the eggs

Eggs are placed in the incubator in the vertical position, so that they rotate from side to side, and not end over end.

The eggs need to be balanced in the trays.

Incubation

The temperature setting on the incubator should ideally be 97.5°F (36.4°C), although it can easily be anywhere between 96 and 98°f (35.6 and 36.7°C)

The humidity settings should ideally be between 24 and 35%. This ensures that the eggs have a sufficient weight loss, without losing too much.

The hatcher can be set at the same temperature as the incubator, or 33°F (1°C) lower and the humidity setting can be slightly higher.

The egg can be moved to the hatcher 1-4 days before the incubation period is over. Once in the hatcher, the eggs do not need to be turned anymore.

Monitoring the eggs

Most other species of birds allow for easy monitoring of eggs by candling (monitoring the embryo growth by holding the egg against a light). Unfortunately the shell of an emu egg is totally opaque, and does not allow any light through, making this impossible. Therefore monitoring the eggs of an emu is slightly more complicated, but will soon be mastered with practice. The chick will start responding to sounds, and to cold air, once hatch is close. This needs to be monitored in the last few days. Every day in the last few days, the egg needs to be sounded. Tap the egg lightly with the metal rod. Once the chick has broken through the air sac, the egg will ring more hollowly when tapped. This change in sound is what you have been waiting for. This is the indicator to move the egg to the hatcher.

Interestingly enough, the egg will normally hatch from the same position as when the egg was laid. If you place the egg on a flat surface in the last day or two, and roll the egg into another position, the chick will roll the egg back into the position it wants to be in – namely the starting out position.

Sometimes an egg sounds like a thin china cup, when tapped with the metal rod. These eggs are usually infertile.

For other alternative farming subjects, you can also check out ostrich farming, alpaca farming, rabbit farming and deer farming.

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The Emu Eggs Incubation Period

emu eggs need to be incubated for an average of 52 – 54 days, but it can take as few as 46 days, or as long as 56 days. A couple of things play a role in the time it takes to hatch each egg:

• The temperature in the incubator
• The humidity of the incubator
• The size of the egg
• Genetics

What you will need for incubation purposes:

• An incubator
• A hatcher
• A brooder box
• A good disinfectant for cleaning the incubator and other equipment
• A generator
• A short metal rod for tapping eggs (a heavy screwdriver will work)
• Betadine solution or similar for navels
• Disinfectant safe for use on chicks and eggs

The incubator we have spoken about at length, and will not repeat everything said. Let us look at the other requirements.

The hatcher is similar to the incubator, except smaller. It can be a homemade box that has a thermometer and a thermostat. The eggs are place in the hatcher for the last few days before hatch. The eggs do not need to be turned the last few days, and the humidity does not need to be as high in the last few days.

A brooder box is a first temporary home for the chick, while it gains strength, and learns to walk properly. This can be any biggish box that is fitted with a lid that closes for most of the way, but still allows for good airflow in the box. The box needs to be fitted with a light source, like an infra-red light. The bottom also needs to be lined with a non-slip rubber mat, and also with a water drinker and a small food bowl. The chicks spend a few days to 1 ½ weeks in the brooder box, until they have gained enough strength to be placed with the other chicks.

Disinfectant: It is imperative to clean out and disinfect the incubator, hatcher and brooder before placing any eggs or chicks in. The disinfectant can be something like Formaldehyde.

A generator is necessary in case of a power failure. When the power goes off, it is imperative to start the generator as soon as possible. The incubator will hold heat for quite a while, but there is no airflow when the power is off. When there is a power failure, you need your contingency plan ready and available – when the poser goes off, this is not the time to think about what to do, it is time to act on plans already set in place.

A second disinfectant is also very necessary. This disinfectant need to be safe on the chicks and eggs, as it will be used to spray the chicks and eggs, in case of a disease outbreak.

Betadine spray or ointment is wonderful for disinfecting and promoting healing to the navel.  This needs to be placed on the navel immediately after hatch. Iron drops can also be handy, for stopping bleeding, if the chick bleeds at the navel.

A short metal rod is used for tapping the eggs to see how close the egg is to hatching. The sound made changes dramatically when the chick breaks through the air sac membrane. A screwdriver of medium to heavy weight will work for this.

The incubator needs to be situated in a place where there is a good supply of free flowing air. And the ideal would be to keep the temperature at about 80 and 90° F (26.7 and 32°C). Remember that an incubator can only warm up, not cool down, so you need to ensure that it never overheats.

For other alternative farming subjects, you can also check out ostrich farming, alpaca farming, rabbit farming and deer farming.

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