Taming Baby Emus

[3RLivestockandFowl]

I need advice. I brought home 2 emu chicks when they were 2 wks old. I tried keeping them in the house in a brooder type set up that I made out of doggie play pen panels, artificial grass, and a heat lamp... but my house dogs wouldn't leave them alone and I didn't want to risk an accidental break in. So I have since set them up in a enclosed pen in our barn with the heat lamp and some deep straw bedding. They seem to be thriving great, but my question is... How do I gentle them down or attempt to get them to bond with me so that they will be handleable when older/bigger? I sit in the corner or their pen every night and pitch small tidbits of kale and spinach to them in the hope of luring them near me or to maybe make them less afraid of me. They want absolutely nothing to do with me or my presence and actually spend majority of the time I'm in there running back and forth from side to side across the enclosure, one will occasionally grab a bite of the greens when running around, but they usually wait me out and just eat the greens after I've given up and left lol!

Any and all advice is appreciated

 

[Jenbirdee]

Im so sorry no one has replied yet. I dont have emus But I have an idea. To me it sounds like what you are doing is great but maybe do it in a smaller area with them so they cant run across away so far. Perhaps use something to temp fence off most of the rest of their pen so they are trapped in a smaller space with you sitting with the treats?
In the meantime I will try to tag some emu peeps for ya

 

[Jenbirdee]

@Pyxis
@Strawberry74
@Sneakyturtle

 

[Jenbirdee]

@briefvisit
@Brookie626

 

[Strawberry74]

I am really new to them. Just hatched my first 3 two weeks ago. I spend time with them everyday. They are silly and spastic a lot, but will come lay down and cuddle up for a nap meet to me on in the crook of my arm every now and then. I would just say time... spend time and bring treats like you are.

 

[briefvisit]

'How do I gentle them down or attempt to get them to bond with me so that they will be handleable when older/bigger?'

I will be offline for a few hours, but I promise to answer your question this afternoon.

To begin, though: learn to flick the morsels with your thumb, like a marble. So the movement of your thumb is the only movement. Being utterly still is a great start to taming -- certainly in an enclosed space. Every wave of your hand as you pitch a morsel is an alarm for them.

In the wild/with my tame-wild birds, you really get to understand this. Noise, movement, and proximity are potential threats. All these things spook them. So, snuggle up in one corner of the pen, and be still.

Being down low doesn't hurt either.

Can you give them more distance? Could you be outside the pen, and sort of hang quietly over the edge as you flick the morsels? If the chicks are running to and fro -- it's heartbreaking to watch, isn't it! -- they are alarmed. It's a proximity thing.

And talk to them. Quietly and constantly.

Here is Toosh Toosh, one of the emus I've tamed:

https://imgur.com/GdXUDJS

Supreme Emu, Western Australia