Updated: 4/17/24

Emu FAQ

Why Raise Emus? (click here to read about some of the most common reasons why people raise emus)

Q:  Should I buy hatching eggs and try to hatch them myself or should I purchase emu chicks from a breeder?  

A:  We recommend finding a reputable breeder that has been raising emus for several years and purchasing  DNA sexed emu chicks.  There are a lot of backyard breeders popping up that have simply copied information from experienced reputable breeders websites or Facebook pages and while they claim to have experience with emus, they may have only raised their breeder pairs and don't have the extensive experience that seasoned emu breeders have.   We've been breeding emus on our farm since 2010 and have 14 years experience of hatching emu chicks.  When you buy hatching eggs, the shipping can be hard on the embryo and you are not guaranteed that the eggs will hatch.  Also, you do not know what the parent emus were being fed and the breeder's diet STRONGLY affects the health of the embryo and resulting hatched emu chick.  When you buy emu chicks from a reputable breeder, you want to make sure that you are able to see the parent emus.  We are very transparent here on our farm and let folks see our setup and parent emus as well as providing care sheets and full support via email/text to answer any questions about raising the emu chicks.  We also offer a one week health guarantee on our emu chicks. When you buy hatching eggs from someone, you may end up hatching all of one gender and possibly having all related emu chicks, which you do not want to have if you intend on breeding.  It is a big gamble with buying hatching eggs, so make sure to think about all of these factors, instead of thinking that it might be cheaper to just buy eggs and hatch your own or to buy from a backyard new breeder that is inexperienced and simply copying info from other experienced breeders.   Also, please beware of folks that are simply buying eggs or chicks in bulk from someone else and then reselling as their own.  That said, there are many reputable breeders who also offer hatching eggs.  You just need to do your research prior to purchasing.  When buying emu chicks, they should be at least 2 weeks old to ensure that they are eating and drinking well and off to a good start.  NEVER buy an emu chick that is a day old!!!  NO REPUTABLE BREEDER WILL SELL YOU AN EMU CHICK THAT JUST HATCHED!!  There are some breeders who focus on quantity and have upwards of 100's of emus and just want to mass produce chicks for profit.  We do not agree with this and on our farm, we focus on QUALITY, , proper nutrition, sanitization and good genetics.  We set emu eggs to hatch weekly so we don't have too many emu chicks at one time, therefore we can socialize them and ensure they are in a clean & healthy living environment in their brooders. Also, if the breeder says that they will ship you an emu chick -- DO NOT BUY FROM THEM AS THEY ARE EITHER A SCAMMER OR JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY AND NOT THE WELL BEING OF THE EMUS!   We have 24 adult emus and have spent 14 years obtaining a diverse gene pool in our mob.  Remember:  Emus live upwards of 30+ years and you want to ensure you are getting good stock and healthy birds.   You will see new websites and Facebook pages that have recently popped up and they've copied much of my information as I freely give out info to folks....make sure to ask them about their experience and how long they've been raising emus. 

Q:  Can I keep my emu(s) with chickens, goats or other livestock?

A:  Our emu have been raised with various types of poultry and livestock.  We recommend getting your emus as chicks to acclimate them to you, to get them tame and then introducing them to your poultry when they are old enough to be outdoors by separating them in an area where they can see your poultry.  Our emu live with chickens, ducks, geese, swans, pot bellied pigs, peafowl & guineas.  We have goats on our property, but the emu do not live with the goats as the goats can and will chew the emus feathers.  Also, we do not recommend keeping your emus with miniature donkeys or full sized donkeys (or horses) as the donkeys can sometimes try to play with an emu, resulting in injury or death. Horses and donkeys use their mouths to communicate with one another and a quick bite or nip to an emus neck can be fatal to the emu.    Always remember that emu can sometimes be territorial and if you introduce new poultry, they will know it and may try to “stomp” the new birds.  Just keep an eye on your emu anytime that you introduce new birds if you are raising them with poultry and always watch your livestock if you introduce your emu into their pastures.

Q:  Will my emu(s) protect my poultry from predators?

A:  Emu(s) can be territorial, especially during breeding season which runs anywhere from October - May, depending on where you live.  We have witnessed our emus chasing and stomping at skunks and foxes.  Not all emus will do this, but their presence can certainly help to deter predators or intruders (both animal and human!).

Q:  What size fencing should I keep my emu(s) in?

A:  We always recommend having a separate pasture if you need to separate multiple emus if they begin fighting during breeding season.  That said, we recommend a minimum of 6 foot high fencing.  Avoid barbed wire and electric fence as the barbed wire can injure the emus and the electric fence will not shock them through their feathers.  We have some 5’ fencing on our property and have successfully kept our emus in these pastures, however, the pastures are very large and there are visual obstacles, like trees, buildings, etc that they can get away from each other should they start to fight.  Emus WILL pace the fence lines, no matter how large the pasture is.  It is just their nature.  Some breeders prefer to use runs (20’x100’), but we avoid runs as we have found the larger pastures provide more forage and less stress on our birds.   

Q:  Should I have more females to males?

A:  We do not recommend more females to male emus.  We recommend more males to females.  Emus are not like other poultry as you can have one male to many females.  In emus, the females will choose their mates and will fight other females over the mates.  Male emus may also fight, but we’ve found many of our females to choose more than one male and the extra males get along fine with each other.  If you allow your male emu to set on the nest, sometimes the females will lay another clutch for the other male.  If you want a trio of emus, we recommend two males to one female.  If you only have one male and one female, sometimes the female will refuse to mate with the male.  By having the extra male, you give her options on choosing her mate.  

Q:  Are emu(s) dangerous or aggressive to humans?

A:  During breeding season, the hormones start kicking in and even the sweetest emus can be known to become somewhat aggressive to humans or other emus.  Of the 20 emus on our farm, we have a female that will sometimes challenge us during breeding season and a male that gets slightly challenging when we have emu chicks in the outdoor brooder and he can see them (we think the chicks cause him to become protective and defensive, therefore we do not raise chicks near him anymore).  We always tell people to assert your dominance over the emu from a very early age.  Never hit or kick an emu!  Put your arm in the air to make yourself appear very tall and make a hissing sound while walking towards them.  Most of the time, the emu will immediately back down and run the other way.  On the rare occasion that they do try to challenge you, you may want to carry a broom or something similar that you can use as a barrier should one try to come towards you.  During breeding season, we always carry a short adjustable handled small head garden rake.  We can hold this up over our heads to appear larger and if need be, we can use it to push an emu away if they get too close.  Never take your eyes off of the emus during breeding season, since hormones can affect even the nicest of emus.  And always be aware that an emu can and will kick if startled, so do not try to push them with your hand as they may kick out to the side, front or rear.  

Q:  How do I tell if my emu is male or female?

A:  You can send an emus feathers or the eggshell that it hatched from (if available) to various labs in the US  to DNA sex your emus. We utilize IQ Bird Testing www.iqbirdtesting.com for our DNA testing.  If you want to wait until your emu matures (which is anywhere from 18 months - 2 years), the males will begin to make a grunting sound (similar to a pig) and the female will “drum”.  Think of the sound that a bass drum makes and that is what a female emu will sound like when fully mature.

Q:  How long does it take for an emu egg to hatch?

A:  An emu eggs takes approximately 48-55 days to hatch depending on the temperature during incubation.  We set our incubators to a temperature of 97.5 and most of our emu chicks will hatch in 50 days.  There are some exceptions to this and because an emu egg cannot be candled, we always recommend waiting until 60 days until you give up on an unhatched emu egg.

Q:  How do I house my emu chick(s) when I first bring them home and what type of bedding do I use for my new emu chicks?

A:  When you purchase your emu chick(s) from us, you will receive a very detailed 3 page care sheet with instructions on how to care for your emu chick(s) through their first year.   Emu chicks will need to be under heat until they are fully feathered, but will need to be able to get away from the heat source if they become  too hot.  They typically know how close to lay to the heat source to regulate their temperatures properly.  They must be kept out of drafts and when indoors they should be near a window for sunlight or an artificial sunlamp bulb in addition to the heat bulb should be used to mimic natural sunlight and for adequate vitamin D production. 

Emu chicks legs can be fragile when they are young and you'll want to make sure that they do not injure their legs during the first few weeks that you have them.  One of the biggest issues you will hear about is a slipped tendon or rotated leg deformity (splayed leg).  We see lots of people on Facebook posting pictures that they are using the green outdoor carpet for their emu chicks bedding.  While this carpet is non-slip when dry, we do NOT recommend outdoor carpet directly on hard surfaces for young growing emu chicks (hard surfaces, meaning concrete, hardwood floors, hard floored linoleum, etc).  In the wild, emus live in Australia and the ground surfaces there range from sandy, loamy, peaty, silty and clay type soils.  That said, emu chicks have evolved to be on surfaces and soils that "give" or have some cushioning effects on their growing joints and delicate tendons.  Putting them directly on HARD SURFACES during the most critical growing ages of 2 weeks - 6 months can directly lead to slipped tendons or rotational leg deformities, especially if they are confined to a small space and are constantly pacing and turning.  Anyone who has ever worked in a warehouse on concrete all day can attest to the effects of hard surfaces on joints and tendons.  This is why most businesses provide their employees with anti-fatigue cushioned mats to help protect workers knee, back, and hip joints if they have to stand on concrete all day.  Also, when outdoor carpet gets wet, there is no absorption and we've found that molds can easily grow underneath which can directly cause Aspergillosis, a fungal respiratory infection that can be fatal to young emu chicks.   If you decide to use outdoor carpet, PLEASE PUT DOWN THICK YOGA MATS or the anti-fatigue mats underneath of it, so that the emu chicks legs have some cushioning. 

We DO highly recommend using kiln dried LARGE pine flakes for bedding.  The key to using pine flakes is to have the layer thick enough so that the flakes don't give way to expose the underneath surface.  If you provide your emu chicks with enough space and a bowl of kale as well as free feed their feed, we have NEVER had any issues with them eating the shavings.  You can also hang small parrot toys in their pen to give them something to pick at.  Just watch them and if they would decide to pick at the shavings, then you could switch to a thick layer of hay or very thick layer of straw.  We utilize non slip rubber mats and 3 inches+ of pine flakes for our emu chicks and have found this to be the best bedding for their growing legs.  It also absorbs their feces which tends to be very wet and will keep the emu chicks cleaner and dryer and not allow feces to build up on their feet, like the outdoor carpet does.  The pine flake shavings should be changed completely every few days, depending on how many emu chicks are on them and how big the space is. 

The other thing we DO NOT recommend is using wire for the sides of the enclosure (like the small doggy play yards) as they can easily get a foot into the wire and twist the leg causing an immediate injury, like a slipped tendon.   If you must use wire, then zip tying cardboard (which must be changed if it gets soiled or wet) or better yet, use small plastic panels as they are the best since the emu chicks also feel more secure when they are not able to see their entire surroundings and the plastic can be easily cleaned, sanitized and re-used. 

Be very careful about any toys or food and water bowls that they can step on or into and slip or trip.  Taller crock like bowls are best since they cannot easily tip and the emu chicks cannot step into them.  We do NOT recommend large shallow large glass, large stainless steel or plastic tray like dishes on the floor as they can easily slip and the bowls will become contaminated with feces very quickly.  Bricks can be used to elevate your bowls to the size needed for your growing emu chicks.  You'll want the bowl to be just below chin (beak) level so that the emu chick can drink but not get into the water.  Chick waterers for chickens should NEVER be used for emu chicks as they need something deep enough to be able to scoop and drink their water. If you have any questions before getting your emu chicks, please reach out to us as we are always glad to help educate folks on their care (info@moonlightvalleyfarm.com).  

Q:  I've read online that I need to give my new emu chicks B vitamins or B12.  What brand or how much do I give my new emu chick(s)?

A:  We do recommend supplementing with B complex vitamins as our adult breeders receive additional B complex supplements as do the emu chicks that we raise.  Emus have a short digestive tract, particularly the small intestine, where the absorption of B12 primarily occurs.  We DO NOT recommend the liquid rooster booster vitamin B supplement, as it also contains Vitamin K which can affect the blood clotting of small emu chicks.  We recommend the human version of B Complex (which adds the additional B vitamins shown below since B12 works synergistically with the other B vitamins).  You'll want to add just a few drops to your emu chicks water bowl, just enough to slightly tinge the water a reddish pink color (B12 - cyanocobalamin is naturally red in color).  We want to warn folks on using any liquid B complex or B12 supplement that contains XYLITOL as it can be deadly to birds and animals.  XYLITOL is a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and can be found in liquid B complex supplements.  Please READ THE LABEL to make sure the product you purchase does not contain XYLITOL as many species of animals and birds cannot metabolize it in the liver and it produces a hypoglycemic affect resulting in liver damage, seizures and death. 

We prefer Nature's Bounty Liquid B Complex (ingredients shown below).  You may also add just a sprinkling of Brewers Yeast powder to the emu chicks food as it contains essential B vitamins as well as manganese for healthy joints and tendons.  The Rooster Booster Poultry Booster Pellet Vitamin supplement is suitable as well and provides many of the vitamins that growing emu chicks need. We highly recommend a good quality poultry probiotic supplement as well.  We use UltraCruz Poultry Probiotic powder for all of the emus and poultry on our farm.

Other Ingredients: Purified, water, sorbitol, vegetable glycerin, Contains <2% of: citric acid, natural flavor, potassium sorbate (preservative).

From a recent interview for an emu presentation: