In January of 2009 I purchased a dozen eggs and had them shipped to me from a gentleman in the Blue Mountains of Virginia. Timing had to be perfect to keeep the eggs from freezing and bursting during shipment. Once I received them I used an Emu egg specific incubator to incubate the eggs for almost 2 months. After the 2 months of incubation I had 8 out of the 12 eggs hatch which was a fantastic hatch rate for my first time hatching emu eggs (plus they were shipped eggs). The eggs are about 1.5 lbs a piece and as thick as clam shells. It takes the chick an incredible amount of time to hatch in comparison to a chicken. The chicks are approximately 6 to 8 inches tall as soon as they hatch (nearly the size of a full grown chicken). Their growth is very fast... they have several color phases as they grow. By time they are three months old they are nearly 3 ft tall. At 1 year old they are between 5' and 6' tall but have not quite obtained their adult weight. They reach breeding age between 2 and 3 years of age. Surprisingly they are extremely friendly and very curious. They can run very fast and when excited they will do a dance that looks very unquordinated but entertaining none the less. They will hop in the air, kick their feet, swing their neck around almost serpent like and do rolls on the ground before running in various directions. When you have a group of them doing this it is hysterical! Emu are farmed for their meat, feathers, oil, and eggs. Their eggs are equivalent to a dozen chicken eggs in size. Their meat is a red meat much like beef from a cow but has nearly no fat or chloresterol, which is great for people who enjoy eating red meat but have high chloresterol issues. The feathers are used for crafting, and the oil is used for lotions and cosmetics. These birds are very similar to a 2 legged beef cow. They forage alot for grasses, seeds, buds, insects and pretty much anything else they can eat. When they strut it is very interesting because the females make a loud booming sound much like a bass drum (boom, boom, boom, etc.) and the males make a grunting sound similar to someone trying to start a chainsaw. If you have any questions feel free to contact me... (WE NO LONGER RAISE EMU, however, I left this page up for informational purposes).
Love the dew??? It works because I am an Emu! If you have any questions about us or Emu Farming please give us a shout...
