My female emu is being a jerk!

[Farmer Parker]

I have two female emu(2years old) and two males(18 years old) Usually it's peace on earth around this farm. Recently, my one female emu turned into a jerk. She is being aggressive to my males, pushing them and chest bumping them and snapping at them. My older males are super calm and not happy about this going on. She is even worse with my other female emu. She really goes after my other female to the point where she made her bleed and damaged her wing. I had to segregate my nice female emu from the mean one. Neither of the females lay eggs yet. And I thought maybe the aggressive one may start lay to soon. Any advice so I can bring peace back to this farm? Thanks

 

[sourland]

She may be getting ready to lay and becoming more territorial.

 

[briefvisit]

I think what goes overlooked is how it goes in the wild: the female of a breeding-pair (got a breeding-pair here in the house-clearing at this second -- tame-wild) undertakes to 'command' a particular pasture. Normally she drives the other birds off; but if there's nowhere for them to go, it's territorial gridlock. Separation is perhaps your only option.

I've seen as many as twenty and twenty-five wild emus jockeying in and around the house-clearing here, sometimes for weeks on end.

[But note: I'm wild-emu guy. Look for advice from those with pet/captive emus]

Here is Greedy Emu: female, one of only two 'double-alpha' birds ever observed here; no sighting for three years plus: presumed dead.

Motto: 'No quarter asked; none given.' I've seen her single-handedly attack a dozen birds.