gerardplauche
Well-known member
Has anyone here every dealt with raising emus? I remember when there were supposed to be the new competitor beef. It obviously fell through, but I was just curious if anyone had gotten into it?
Emu
- Thread starter gerardplauche
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I know a couple of people that got in to it unintentionally. Some one turned their emu flocks in with their cows. We had one that showed up at the old farm. The others aren;t anywhere near us or each other and they still ended up with them. A 55gr from a 219 Donaldson Wasp through the wing butts drops them on the spot.
The man we buy heifers from had a few. He tells the funniest story about shooting one inside of the barn. I have heard it 100 times, and it still makes me laugh. Apparently they can be as mean as the day is long.
milesvb
Well-known member
dun":1dd3kcv8 said:
How did it taste?
Recipes?
OP
OP
gerardplauche
Well-known member
That was my next question; did anyone ever eat emu?
gerardplauche":2z1y47ma said:
During the beginning of the craze, there was a place in the dinky little mall in Cleburne, a little cafe, that made emu burgers. Tastes more like beef than chicken. Not bad, but nothing special. That has been my lone dining experience with the emu. They also sold emu oil, touted to be the cure for everything from dry skin to arthritis. Never tried that, either.
Jogeephus
Well-known member
gerardplauche":3413m6ng said:
Be thrilled for I and my family are the lucky ones who have tasted the flesh of this satanic bird. Never grew them, never bought one. Just happened upon a free range bird on a country road and thought it was my duty to make the roadway safe for school bus traffic. ;-) After capping the bird with my pistol and almost getting pecked to death by this bird from hades, I loaded him up in the truck and carried him to the barn. Cleaned him and carried some of the biggest drumsticks I'd ever seen to my buddy who is a butcher. He sliced this delicacy into some beautiful 1" steaks and wrapped them for me. I kept 6 of the steaks out and marinaded them overnight in Dale's steak marinade. Next day, I fired the grill up and sweetness made baked potatoes and a salad while I took this beautiful meat out to the grill. Oooooooh it looked so steakly. Color was magnificant, aroma good - I couldn't wait. Carried them in the house and everyone fixed their plates. I was amazed at how easily the knife cut thru the meat and I placed the first cut in my mouth. The taste of pepper and dale's sauce sparked my salivary glands as I began to chew. After the second chew I realized the meat had doubled in size and I noticed strange looks on everyone's faces at the table. Almost simultaneously everyone grabbed a knapkin and spit the meat into it. It was aweful! Horrid! And I'll eat almost anything! I assure you, if the defense department would do away with water boarding and make the terrorist eat this trash they would tell them where their mother was hiding. It is in no way a threat to the beef industry.
Of, course I did have fun with the Emu's feet. Dried them and went out just before turkey season and pressed footprints in the dirt just before my buddy came down to come hunting with me. Man did he think we had some big turkeys. :lol2: So, they are at least good for something. :lol2:
ETF
Well-known member
Two indirect experiences with emus. A neighbor up the road had 6 or 8 of them. They got out and one ended up at my place. I called him, assuming he would come get them. Instead he sent some deputies who shot it because it was trying to spur them. If I's known they were going to shoot it, I could have given some first hand information on how they taste. 
A friend of ours has one now. It's pretty friendly but he says there is no market for them. Horses are largely scared to death of Big Bird, so he turns new horses out in the pasture with it. Nothing scares them after they get over the initial trauma. :lol2:
A friend of ours has one now. It's pretty friendly but he says there is no market for them. Horses are largely scared to death of Big Bird, so he turns new horses out in the pasture with it. Nothing scares them after they get over the initial trauma. :lol2:
Jogeephus
Well-known member
I forgot to mention that my dogs wouldn't even eat the meat and they will roll in a cow pie in a heartbeat.
Jogeephus":trmdtu81 said:
I have tried it and Jogeephus I couldn't have said it better myself, it was aweful!!! It was very dry and tough. The sausage I tried was not the worst thing I had ever eaten, but it was 75% pork.
john250
Well-known member
I guess I am the saddest, because I paid 2.50 or 3 bucks for my emu sandwich. At the county fair. Local folks doing a promotion and giving the money to charity. I would have given $5 direct to the charity if I had known how bad it would be.
Neighbor of mine had 65 he was trying to give away a few years ago.
Et an egg once. Not too bad.
By the way, that neighbor didn't have any dog problems. Them birds'd kill everyone that came through. :lol:
Et an egg once. Not too bad.
By the way, that neighbor didn't have any dog problems. Them birds'd kill everyone that came through. :lol:
Calman
Well-known member
I havent had any experience with emu's or even tasted the meat. But I sure can tell you about trying to rope an ostrich. They are plenty fast and can duck their head to about 3in from the ground and never slow down.Tried to rope a loose one about 25yrs ago up in oklahoma for a guy raising them.
Me and another feller both on horses.I don't think I have ever laughed any harder in my whole life. It was a big old rooster that had got out. We would throw the loop while in a dead run and as soon as the rope left your hand his head would pop down to about three inches off the ground and never slow down.We finally figured out the only way to get him down was to heal him. Then you had every evil animal god ever made wrapped up in one ostrich.Their bight is he11 and they kick forward.Told the ol boy next time he called me I was bringing my 30 30 and not a rope.
Cal
Me and another feller both on horses.I don't think I have ever laughed any harder in my whole life. It was a big old rooster that had got out. We would throw the loop while in a dead run and as soon as the rope left your hand his head would pop down to about three inches off the ground and never slow down.We finally figured out the only way to get him down was to heal him. Then you had every evil animal god ever made wrapped up in one ostrich.Their bight is he11 and they kick forward.Told the ol boy next time he called me I was bringing my 30 30 and not a rope.
Cal
Horticattleman
Well-known member
Jogeephus":3iwwl248 said:
Jo if this is a true story, whick I am almost certain it is, you are a hero to mankind. I commend you on protecting the state roadways. Like I said before, I am just glad we don't live close to each other, because we would find too much fun in these things!
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Back in the 1990's there was a rampant craze with Emus and Ostriches in North Texas area. Ostrich eggs were selling for up to $5,000 and "weanlings"(?) selling about same. Breeding pairs selling $10,000 to $20,000.
So much for the "bull market". Not much longer after that, "breeders" couldn't give them away...were supposedly turning them out to roam since they didn't want to feed something that you couldn't sell.
Another one of those "Pyramid Schemes" that made a select few promotors a tough wealthy, while their "subjects" lost their A$$ on the schemes. They learned a hard lesson there was "no free lunch" and "get rich quick promotions" don't make any money except for the original promoters and marketers.
:dunce:
So much for the "bull market". Not much longer after that, "breeders" couldn't give them away...were supposedly turning them out to roam since they didn't want to feed something that you couldn't sell.
Another one of those "Pyramid Schemes" that made a select few promotors a tough wealthy, while their "subjects" lost their A$$ on the schemes. They learned a hard lesson there was "no free lunch" and "get rich quick promotions" don't make any money except for the original promoters and marketers.
:dunce:
Horticattleman
Well-known member
I only know of 1 man, but he got mauled by them things and spent weeks in the hospital and to this day even walks like one of them "Devil Birds" he calls em!
Jogeephus
Well-known member
Horticattleman, you are right, it just would do to be neighbors. My wife would probably pull my kitchen pass cause I tend to get side-tracked pretty easy. I still catch a little ribbing over our Emu feast.
One of my mentor's in cattle told me to "never chase breeds". I guess this should also include "species". Whenever someone is promising that you can "make up to $$$$ IF" or "they are going to", I'm always leary. I think if anyone had ever tasted the meat before jumping on board common sense would have warned them otherwise. But remember, if was supposed to be "more healthy" than grain fed beef.
One of my mentor's in cattle told me to "never chase breeds". I guess this should also include "species". Whenever someone is promising that you can "make up to $$$$ IF" or "they are going to", I'm always leary. I think if anyone had ever tasted the meat before jumping on board common sense would have warned them otherwise. But remember, if was supposed to be "more healthy" than grain fed beef.
sidney411
Well-known member
I've known several people that got in on the beginning and ended up losing their savings and retirement due to emus. Has anyone here ever worked them? I have! They DO NOT herd at all! They are fast and they can kick the living snot out of you in no time flat, not to mention if they were not de-spured they have rasor sharp talons! I finally go the hang of it after I was black and blue. You grab them from behind and pick them up where their feet can't touch the ground and your pretty safe then. One gentleman ended up digging a huge hole and shooting about 150 birds one day because he was broke and had already given away as many as he could. We put birds in that hole with the same 5 cent shot he had paid $10,000 for a few yrs before. I had some of the eggs - the yolk is a lot ligheter colored then chicken eggs but it made a good BIG omelet, kind of hard to crack on the side of the pan though. I've eaten a lot of emu too. Not near as good as beef or venison but we ground almost all of it and used it like regular hamburger - not as bad as the steaks, but it was very dry - no fat. We made the famous "emu oil" the stuff stinks and I didn't see a lick of good it did either. BTW - it is VERY fun shooting htem in the head w/ a .22 - very challenging too! I think that could be called their best use - target practice!
