emu???????????

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coolwater

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my daughter has talked me into buying her an emu.dont know why she wants it but as a dad i always give in.we have all sorts of exotic fowl so why not.just wanted to know if anyone has ever had any of these things and if so how well do they do with cattle.i dont have a pen and im not building one.i have a few acres thats cylclone fenced with barbed wire that i keep my heifers in. i know the emus cant fly and im thinking of putting it in the same pasture as the heifers.how about their dissposition?are they docile or mean.
 
coolwater":193tloqv said:
my daughter has talked me into buying her an emu.dont know why she wants it but as a dad i always give in.we have all sorts of exotic fowl so why not.just wanted to know if anyone has ever had any of these things and if so how well do they do with cattle.i dont have a pen and im not building one.i have a few acres thats cylclone fenced with barbed wire that i keep my heifers in. i know the emus cant fly and im thinking of putting it in the same pasture as the heifers.how about their dissposition?are they docile or mean.
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I have shot a half dozen or so, guy got in the business when it was the thing to get rich, they ate him out of house and home so he just turned them loose. They like creep feed has caused several to have heartburn and they ain't fit to eat.

PS they are mean and that was one of the few sounds that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up at night, thought I was in Jurrasic Park first time I heard it.
 
Worthless fowl to have around. And you sure as hel*l don't want a kid (or adult for that matter) to get kicked by one. Might not be quite as dangerous as a kick from an ostrich but could still be plenty bad.
 
My cousin had some during the "craze". They got out of the pen, stampeded his cattle...then the neighbors cattle....he ended up shooting them because he could not catch them! He had a bunch of riled neighbors by the time it was all over! :lol: :lol: :shock: ;-) :cboy:
 
looks like i might be building that pen after all.i dont think i could bare telling my daughter i changed my mind.ive really spoiled her.and the worst part is that she is grown and i still cant tell her "no"
 
Not real smart animals either. I've seen them run themselves into fences and other objects because they were "upset". Nextdoor neighbor had some, then got sheep instead, he just pulled the fence up a couple of months ago and now just has a bigger yard. :)
 
Never been around them but a friend raised some years ago. I do not think they would co-habitate with cattle well either.
 
In the early 1990s (during the emu, ostrich craze) I attended a promotion thing where they served emu and ostrich, and other stuff. Tasted like beef (the sauce helped), very lean. Then there was the "emu oil" craze...

When you consider the size of the brains in relation to the body size of emus, ostriches, turkeys, and some of the dinosaurs, it is no wonder some aren't intelligent enough to manage their large bodies... ;-)

I know...I'm bring negative...sorry...

Llamas and Alpacas seem to be the current "designer animal" craze.

JMO...
 
coolwater":37mq386q said:
looks like i might be building that pen after all.i dont think i could bare telling my daughter i changed my mind.ive really spoiled her.and the worst part is that she is grown and i still cant tell her "no"
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I'd tell her "no." They can deliver a powerful kick and I'm sure you don't want your daughter hurt.
 
we used to have one. it was an "escapee" supposedly. he just showed up one day. the cows hated the emu. they stampeded him and luckily we were able to catch him before they freaked out too bad. emus are mean as crap. and they can do some serious damage with their feet, will slice you up. ours ate dog food and he would let my mom pet his fuzz on the top of his head but didnt like anyone else much. he did like to have water sprayed on him with the waterhose or a sprinkler. i wouldnt recommend one. be a man, tell her no.
 
coolwater":1xtvn57n said:
looks like i might be building that pen after all.i dont think i could bare telling my daughter i changed my mind.ive really spoiled her.and the worst part is that she is grown and i still cant tell her "no"
Click to expand...

A "grown up" daughter or son needs to get their own life and stop hanging onto to mama or daddy's apron strings. ;-)
 
Last time I checked, that emu oil (2 oz bottle I think) sold for about $11 and that was a couple of years ago. Couldn't get Rambo (donkey) to even get near the emu cage at a local fair...smart donkey.
 
They attack and defend themselves by kicking. They have two large toes on each foot with a hard claw type toenail. If they get you good, they can open your abdomen and drop your guts on the ground. I would not get an Emu.
 
~

Emus.

What are they good for ?

Oh yes, their eggs sell for big $$ for ornaments and toll painters.

However,

They kick and injure people, livestock and pets.

They are hard to catch when they get loose ( they will )

They are hard to herd and seperate when they get loose with your cattle ( they will )

Fencing has to be 7 - 9 feet high or they will get loose ( they will )

They run down the middle of the highway when they get loose ( they will ) and get hit by cars.

Check your homeowners insurance policy--they may not be covered.
 
I worked for a vet in high school. There was a guy that raised these things - even built them their own barn. One of them tore himself up in a fence pretty good & we couldn't do anything for him - especially after we chased him around forever trying to get a good look at the wound without getting killed. Anyway, he finally weakened enough from bloodloss that we got him down. They didn't want us to euthanize him because they wanted to eat the meat. So, the vet puts a pistol to the bird's head & shoots it. Afterwards I sat on the birds body waiting for it to die - after about twenty minutes we realized that the vet missed the brain. So whoever made the comment about the size of the brain is right on.
 
A neighbor of mine about 4 months ago decided he wanted some so he went and got 6 at a sale.Needless to say,he didn't have the proper fence for them and they were out the first day roaming everywhere.Four of them were finally caught by about 8 people and who knows where the other 2 are now.They have been spotted miles away.
 
A friend of mine had them , and found out there was no market for them He wieghs about 340 pounds--He told me the best way to bring down an ostrich was a hockey stick. Ive always had this mental picture of this big bugger . swinging his hockey stick in a pen of 50 ostriches I think in north america we have lots to eat already without these birds, The thought of someone putting a 25 pound drumstick on my plate grosses me out
 

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