Emu is a flightless bird of Australia that belongs to the flightless running bird’s group, known as ratites.
They have many resemblances to the ostrich because of their similar appearance.
However, Emu is the second-largest living bird, and they are 1.5 meters tall with a weight of about 45 kg.
Usually, the adult female emus are heavier and larger than the male emus.
Male emus are famous because they grunt like a pig, and female emus make a booming sound.
Emus are usually kept on farms, and people raise them for meat, oil, and leather.
Their leather is thinner and of finer textured than ostrich leather. The meat of Emu is being promoted as low fat and lean; that’s why it is added to the list of healthy protein choices by the American heart association.
They have dark brown feathers that get lighter in the shade when they grow older.
They have two long legs and cannot fly, and they use their legs only to run away from predators. They also use their long legs to kick the predators.
They usually kick the predators very strongly, which causes injury and sometimes death.
Emu birds usually like to live alone, but they can form groups with other emus when searching for food. Emus are non-aggressive birds but only show anger when threatened by other animals or any person.
Table of Contents
How Much Does An Emu Cost?
Finding an Emu in the United States can be a little challenging. However, a two to three-month-old Emu can cost about $3,000 to $5,000. But the cost can be different depending on other factors, including age; if you buy Emu only seven days old, then the price will be less than $1,000, but it is not easy to find Emus younger than a week.
A two-year-old Emu can cost between $25,000 and $28,000. Emu’s of this age is advantageous, and their adult size and conformation can be judged.
Two-year-old Emu’s are also in that part of their age when they can reproduce, therefore buying the can assure a good investment.
However, buying an emu cost totally depends on the age of the Emu, breed of emus, birds quality, and the location you live.
Emu egg cost
Some people tend to buy Emu’s egg which costs less.
However, purchasing the Emu’s egg depends on the fertility status of the egg. An infertile egg can cost around $30 to $50 per egg, while if the egg is fertile, it will cost higher of about $100 per egg.
The Emu’s egg is very large and weighs around to one pond, equal to 10-12 chicken eggs.
Take a look at : Ostrich Egg Cost.
Additional Cost For Growing An Emu
After buying an emu, there are many things to do as they need a popper feeding, a place to live, and many other things. These all things must be added to the actual cost when deciding to buy an emu.
Housing Cost
Emus are active birds, and they need a wide place to live where they can run efficiently.
For a pair of Emu, you should arrange an area normally thirty by one hundred feet with proper ventilation and heat to escape extreme cold and shade during the summer season.
However, the environment of the living place of Emu must be suitable for them to make them feel comfortable.
Fencing Cost
You should consider the buying cost of an emu as there are many things to do to raise them well and all this can be very expensive.
Installing fencing around the place where Emu’s are kept is necessary because they are energetic jumpers.
So you must provide them a place with shelter and fencing of about 6 feet.
The fence should be made with high-quality material.
Do not make the mistake of installing a fence of four to five feet tall, which is not made with high quality to contain the Emu because of their high speed and tall heights; they can quickly jump over that fence.
So be careful before installing a fence and save future expenditures.
The cost of installing fencing depends on the size of the area and its quality. However, the average cost can be about $88 to $16 per foot.
Feeding cost
Feeding emus is another considerable cost as they are large-sized birds, so they need popper feeding.
Emus are omnivores, so they eat plants, vegetation, and animals also.
If Emus are allowed to feed in the pasture, there must be no more than 20 emus per acre.
Emus need low fiber feed, and they also need supplements consisting of vitamins and minerals. However, the low pellet feet cost around $400 per ton.
But an adult emu needs to feed about 1-½ pelleted food per day.
Reason To Purchase An Emu
The trend of buying Emus is because of two primary purposes; the first purpose is to raise the newly born Emu after buying them at a low cost and then sell them at a high cost.
And the second purpose of buying Emu’s is to raise them until the age of twelve months and then sell them for getting meat, oil, and leather from them.
They are more in demand because of the products they give.
The cost of emu meat is a bit higher than beef cost.
Emu’s behavior
An emu’s behavior depends on bird to bird, like other pets.
Many of them are soft-tempered and won’t fight.
Males generally have more friends than females, but again this is not always the case because it differs from bird to bird.
Some birds may cast a bright spot, while others may want to eat it and leave it. Some, if friendly, may allow you to hug them.
Is it Profitable to Raise Emus?
Emus is a beautiful bird, unique in many ways, and offers many benefits with good products. With a thorough knowledge of birds and an open mind to all of their characteristics, one can successfully raise an emu and get all the benefits.
The product details of Emu is given below;
Meat
Emus provide red meat with low fats and cholesterol. Their meat is full of protein and iron, making it a very healthy diet.
Emu meat is considered more beneficial than beef and other meats and contains more proteins, fats, and cholesterol. Nutrition value of emu meat includes;
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Iron
- Fewer fats
- Low cholesterol
- High proteins
Oil
Oil is another beneficial product of Emu’s that contains Omega 9, 3, 6 fatty acids used in skin moisturizers.
Each Emu can produce 6 liters of oil, and a significant amount can be earned by sailing this oil to industries as it is helpful in pharmaceuticals, rubbing oils, creams, and fragrances.
Fine leather
The emus give soft, high-quality leather, a major benefit and revenue to the emus ranching industry. Emu’s leather is finer textured than ostrich’s leather and used in handbags, wallets, western boots, and shoes.
Interesting things to know Before Buy An Emu
Emus look cute, and they can be great pets. They must be raised in a good environment and with a specific kind of care level.
You need to know the following things before raising them as your pets.
- It is not difficult to handle an emu; however, it is best to handle them gently with a certain amount of caution. They usually kick at the front, so be careful when standing in front of them.
- Emus love playing and swimming in the water. So to keep them happy, you should provide a swimming area for them. If you do not have enough space for swimming, you can also set up a sprinkler or a kiddie wading pool.
- It is important to have a good time with your emu chicks to make them familiar to you. Once they know you, they will end up following you everywhere. And even frequently touching an emu chick will make them used to human touch, and they and they will not react negatively to it as adults.
- Emus are flightless birds with wings and powerful legs, but they cannot use them to fly, while they are an excellent runner and even can make a jump of seven feet straight up.
- Emus need a good diet for their growth. They usually like to eat plants, beetles, cockroaches, and grasshoppers.
- Another interesting thing about Emu is that they have two eyelids, one for blicking and the other for keeping the dust out.
Emu VS Ostrich: (What are the differences)?
Emu and ostrich both look the same by appearance, and also both these birds live in Australia, but you can also see them in other states.
Another similarity between them is that they both are flightless and only use their legs to run.
Despite their similar appearance, there are many differences between these two birds as stitches are the largest living bird while Emu is the second-largest living bird.
Also, ostriches can run with the fastest speed of 43mph, which is faster than Emu (their fastest speed is 31mph).
Most emus are farmed because of their meat, oil, and leather, while ostrich is raised due to its plumes.
