Emu Chick Mortality

[Grassman 52]

All you experienced Emu hatchers out there, what is the average or expected mortality rate with Emu chicks?

I lost one a little over a week ago and tonight when I got home from work - there was a dead male chick in the shed.

So out of 10 chicks I have lost 2 so far 20%. I am wondering how many more I will lose?

Now I know this is a loaded question, but from what I can see I did nothing wrong.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

I looking forward to information on this topic.

S.E.

 

[chickenzoo]

I have luckily only lost one due to leg abnormality..... I think one thing.that may up the risk is ingestion of foreign objects.....

 

[ES Emus]

losing healthy emu chicks is not the norm, there were no signs of illness or trauma prior to them being found found dead?

 

[Grassman 52]

Nothing that I noticed - I do watch the birds after work (just to enjoy them) since loosing the two chicks I look to ensure all birds are eating and drinking, running around and acting normal - I will keep an eye on them.

The are on wood shavings - not sure that they didn't eat too much or picked up large stones or forigen objects out in the run.

 

[ES Emus]

its hard to tell, but the wood shavings could be the problem. We start our chicks on a (rat) wire flooring. There is nothing for them to swallow other than their food. But your mortality could be anything from genetic to whatever...?

 

[Ellamumu]

Ella ate wood shavings when she was a baby, we had to always remember to keep the stall doors closed or she would go in and eat them.

 

[birdeo]

Nothing that I noticed - I do watch the birds after work (just to enjoy them) since loosing the two chicks I look to ensure all birds are eating and drinking, running around and acting normal - I will keep an eye on them. The are on wood shavings - not sure that they didn't eat too much or picked up large stones or forigen objects out in the run.

hopefully not cedar shavings .

 

[Grassman 52]

They are on the cheap tractor supply brand - I think it is pine (not sure, but I will look) update looked on-line and they are pine - The cedar chips are sold as a premium chip as I understand it. I keep all my birds on these wood shavings - I have noticed that the Emus seam to pick at the shavings more than other birds.

 

[Grassman 52]

Question:
I have approximately two acres fenced in, I created the pasture last year and it had a lot of trash on the property. I have cleaned and York raked the property, but I still find glass and other foreign objects all the time. The shed the chicks are in is clean and I inspected the chick run 24' x 50' - the only objects in the run are different size stones and rocks - do I need to remove as many stones and sticks as possible to prevent impaction?

I am going to walk the complete pasture this weekend to ensure no glass or small bits of metal are visible (chicks have not been loose in the pasture as of yet) I have geese - ducks - and chickens in the pasture and have not had a problem. The pasture has been over seeded twice (plus the original seeding) and has a good grass covering - pasture grass blend and rye grass.

Chick run - you can see a lot of stones were the posts were put in the ground