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About our Emus |
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About Emus - By Scott Quinn |
written fall 1999 |
The emu is about 6 ft. tall. It is a large flightless gray-feathered ratite bird from Australia.
An emu is the cousin of the ostrich but a little bit smaller. I bet that emus are more fun to watch though. About three years ago our friends got some and they talked my parents into getting them. So now we have emus. Weird huh? That's what all my friends think and what I thought (at first).
I have lots of fun watching visitors that come and see emus for the first time. We have a total of 26 birds: 5 Chicks, 7 Coming Two's, and 14 Adult birds. About 1/2 of our birds are going to be processed this summer (In August).
I told you that I thought they were weird, but there are lots of uses for the emu. For instance, the feathers are supposed to be great for fly tying, jewelry, dried floral arrangements, and even car companies use them to dust down their cars before painting.
The meat is really tasty. Some say it tastes like venison, but others say it tastes like Beef. It's 98% Fat Free, and is high in Iron and Protein. It cooks really fast and you can make hamburgers, steaks, filets, jerky and lots more.
Their oil can be used for external or internal use. Externally, it can be used on the skin for sprains, sports injuries, arthritis, burns, shampoo and conditioner, body lotion, soap, moisturizer and lots, lots more. Internally, it can be taken to lower your blood cholesterol level and help restore the health of digestive disorders, and now they even have a gel-cap with pure emu oil in it.
The emu's skin from the legs can be used for boots that would probably out-live you!! Their hide can be made into billfolds, purses, business card holders, patchwork vests, book-covers, and pillows.
The emu egg is about 5 1/2" long and makes an 11-12 egg omelet!!! They start laying early December and continue laying every three days till the end of March or April. On the first day, the female's body puts a white layer around the yolk substance, and this layer is the softest. The second day is when a turquoise or teal layer is added to the outside. This is the second hardest layer. On the third day they put on the thickest and hardest layer. This layer is a textured, dark, forest green.
 One of our adult birds got his name "Friendly" because he is so friendly. He is so nice that you can go into his pen and just walk right up to him and start petting him. This is "Friendly" in the picture to the left.
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