From page 35
LIVESTOCK
that something negative is in
the area: fast pace running,
loud hissing, a display of
jumping and running,
standing tall or shrinking
down.
The vocalisations of emus
mostly consist of various
booming and grunting sounds
and must be pretty scary for a
would-be thief to encounter.
Some of the booms can be
heard from 2km away. Emus
have a powerful forward kick
which can rip open clothing
and exposed flesh.
If you want to keep an emu
for security purposes,
however, remember that it
sleeps at night, so you will
need to ensure that whatever
it is protecting is put away
safely at night as well.
The other reason for keeping
emus is, surprisingly, oil
production. There is a large
pocket of fat on the back, as
well as on the belly, which is
processed into oil.
The oil is used in dietary
supplements, therapeutic
products and in cosmetics,
depending on the grade of
oil. It has external and internal
use for human and animal
medical conditions.
The skin, meat and feathers
are also used. The meat is
similar to ostrich, in that it is
lean, low in cholesterol and
rich in nutrients.
The birds are slaughtered at
between 14 and 18 months,
yielding a slaughter weight of
14kg of meat and 10kg of fat.
The hides can be tanned,
yielding a soft, thin leather.
Not surprisingly, the eggs are
large ~ on average 13cm by
9cm diameter ~ and weigh
between 450 and 650g.
Emptied eggs are used
decoratively and are sometimes engraved with pictures.
In the field, emus forage a
variety of plant species,
including leaves and grasses.
They also eat insects and
other arthropods, including
grasshoppers.
They will need concentrates
as well and will eat ostrich
pellets, although feed
specially formulated for emus
is preferable.
The female emu is ready to
breed at about two years. She
can lay up to 40 eggs a
season, which lasts from April
to October. Commercial
breeders incubate the eggs,
which take eight weeks to
hatch.
In the wild the male emu sits
on the eggs and looks after
the chicks once they have
Emus in a smallholder’s paddock
hatched. The eggs range in
for a few days in a heated
colour from turquoise to deep room, but are then kept in a
blue or even black.
grassed enclosure until they
Initially the chicks are kept
Continued on page 38
37
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