I see this thread has been going for a few years now. I just have to jump in as it is obvious that emus and emu behavior can vary greatly - as can the owner's understanding of this magnificent breed of ratite.
My first pair of emu came to live on our farm when they were 6 months old. It took a while to integrate them with our chickens and ducks but with patience, a lot of care, and a couple months time they became one big happy family.Three+ years and three more emus later...
Occasionally the emus decide they don't want any chickens or ducks in the pen with them and they start chasing them. To make sure the littler birds can easily get away we built an interior pen within the emu pen and left a generous gap at the bottom for the chickens and ducks to slip right through. Needless to say a 6 foot tall "big bird" isnt going to be able to follow under a fence so the chickens and ducks can easily get out of the way. We have 72 ducks and a couple dozen chickens and have never had an emu hurt one.
We never ever ever put young chicks or ducklings with the emus. It would be a death sentence as young birds wouldn't instinctively know to run away and the emus would most likely stomp on them for sport. This type behavior is NOT being nasty. Emus are a wild bird and their natural instincts need to be respected.
My advice, if you can't use common sense, don't bring home an emu. They grow to be huge 150 pound birds with giant prehistoric feet! But if you have common sense and are willing to respect and work with the emu's natural behavior, then get a pair of these amazing creatures and enjoy raising and watching them.
That's it... except to say I LOVE MY EMUS!
My first pair of emu came to live on our farm when they were 6 months old. It took a while to integrate them with our chickens and ducks but with patience, a lot of care, and a couple months time they became one big happy family.Three+ years and three more emus later...
Occasionally the emus decide they don't want any chickens or ducks in the pen with them and they start chasing them. To make sure the littler birds can easily get away we built an interior pen within the emu pen and left a generous gap at the bottom for the chickens and ducks to slip right through. Needless to say a 6 foot tall "big bird" isnt going to be able to follow under a fence so the chickens and ducks can easily get out of the way. We have 72 ducks and a couple dozen chickens and have never had an emu hurt one.
We never ever ever put young chicks or ducklings with the emus. It would be a death sentence as young birds wouldn't instinctively know to run away and the emus would most likely stomp on them for sport. This type behavior is NOT being nasty. Emus are a wild bird and their natural instincts need to be respected.
My advice, if you can't use common sense, don't bring home an emu. They grow to be huge 150 pound birds with giant prehistoric feet! But if you have common sense and are willing to respect and work with the emu's natural behavior, then get a pair of these amazing creatures and enjoy raising and watching them.
That's it... except to say I LOVE MY EMUS!