How much space for emus?

[Randy]

I have a chance to trade for a pair of emu and need to know how much space they need. Also will 6' tall fence be tall enough? What about shelter? Do they need a shed or something to get in in the winter? Any and all info about keeping emu would be appreciated.

 

[schoebel_taylor]

Hi! 6 foot tall fence is high enough and u should have a shelter for them thick with straw for in the winter and you should have a minimum of 10-15 sq ft for a pair. Good luck!

 

[ChanceRider]

I have a breeding pair of emus that are about 5 - 6 years old. Their run is 6' tall fencing, 100' long by about 30' wide... long enough to let them get a good run in. They love to run and jump around in the spring rains. My DH built my birds an 8' x 8' by 6' tall open fronted coop. We put in a raised floor with plenty of straw... and they totally ignore their "house". Even in the heaviest of rains, 8 - 10" of snow, and 100+ degree temps, the most they'll do is hunker down under a low limbed cedar tree in their run. They build their nest at the far end of the pen away from the coop. The only time they go inside is to eat. They have a metal feeder that holds 50 lbs of feed and drops down into a tray.

I buy commercially processed emu breeder or maintenance feed. I can usually find starter, grower, breeder, and maintenance ratite feed. My birds were given to me by a man who raised them commercially for feed, feathers, hides, and emu oil. While they are "tame", they were never raised around other livestock or birds, so they're kept penned. They will attempt to stomp anything that gets into their run... and have killed a skunk that made the mistake of going in for a free meal. My female will even try to stomp her own chicks as they hatch, so she has to be separated when the hatch is due. (The males sit the nest for about 56 days, not even getting up to eat or drink).

My emus are about the easiest of all my critters to care for. The male is quite friendly and loves getting "hugs"... he'll place his head on my shoulder for pets. But, they do love bright and shiny things and will readily go after necklaces, earings, rings, buttons, etc.

Here's a pic of my male, Enoch, on his nest:

Hope you'll keep us updated if you do get the birds. Good luck!

 

[Randy]

Thanks for all the advice but after thinking it all over I decided I just wasn't ready to deal with them. I'm just not comfortable with something the can kick my butt.

Also, at this point I think my time would be better spent building more chicken and turkey pens. I'm already way behind on what I want to get done in that area so that was something else I had to consider. This deal just came out of nowhere and at first I thought it would be pretty neat to have them but after thinking it over I came to my senses.

 

[ChanceRider]

LOL, that's a trait I haven't developed yet... coming to my senses! I do know what you mean about being behind on what I want to get done. I'm in the process of building a 2nd turkey coop... then will come a much larger chicken coop/run. Does it never end?

Good luck with your projects!

 

[Nebraska Bird Man]

I have a breeding pair of emus that are about 5 - 6 years old. Their run is 6' tall fencing, 100' long by about 30' wide... long enough to let them get a good run in. They love to run and jump around in the spring rains. My DH built my birds an 8' x 8' by 6' tall open fronted coop. We put in a raised floor with plenty of straw... and they totally ignore their "house". Even in the heaviest of rains, 8 - 10" of snow, and 100+ degree temps, the most they'll do is hunker down under a low limbed cedar tree in their run. They build their nest at the far end of the pen away from the coop. The only time they go inside is to eat. They have a metal feeder that holds 50 lbs of feed and drops down into a tray.

I buy commercially processed emu breeder or maintenance feed. I can usually find starter, grower, breeder, and maintenance ratite feed. My birds were given to me by a man who raised them commercially for feed, feathers, hides, and emu oil. While they are "tame", they were never raised around other livestock or birds, so they're kept penned. They will attempt to stomp anything that gets into their run... and have killed a skunk that made the mistake of going in for a free meal. My female will even try to stomp her own chicks as they hatch, so she has to be separated when the hatch is due. (The males sit the nest for about 56 days, not even getting up to eat or drink).

My emus are about the easiest of all my critters to care for. The male is quite friendly and loves getting "hugs"... he'll place his head on my shoulder for pets. But, they do love bright and shiny things and will readily go after necklaces, earings, rings, buttons, etc.

Here's a pic of my male, Enoch, on his nest:

Hope you'll keep us updated if you do get the birds. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice on the female. I know that it is wild they ignore the shelter and like to sit out in the elements. SHOCKINGLY I just found my missing male, sitting in the shelter. I thought he was injured, tried to move him, only to see he was sitting on a clutch of eggs.