Raising ostriches, emus, or rheas?

[Back to Nature]

Yes...I'd think Red Bull would be a keeper!

This person I was talking about with Bison had them charge through fences many times...even the super duper fences...and the liability insurance he had to carry should they ever get out was very high.

I never see Buffalo burgers for sale around here, or when we lived in Florida. In Saskatchewan they sell it beside the beef buger...it costs more per pound, but for many on heart healthy diets it is a better option. I've had Bison burgers and Bison stew and the meat was a richer, sweeter flavour than beef. Best meat I've had was Moose....better than beef any day. No moose to hunt around here though...just deer and wild turkey.

There's a restaurant here that serves bison burgers. It was amazing. I liked the bison best, then the venison, then the beef. Also, "This one time at band camp", a herd of buffalo got loose from a nearby farm and charged through the camp. True story, although I wasn't there to see it.

 

[TGreenhut]

Just saw this post,
Back to Nature, are you still interested in getting ratites? I raise emus and could give you some tips.

 

[Back to Nature]

Just saw this post,
Back to Nature, are you still interested in getting ratites? I raise emus and could give you some tips.

I'm still thinking about it and always welcome tips.

 

[secuono]

Natural Bridge drive through zoo in VA had buffalo, but no idea how they managed to keep them in w/o crazy fencing.
I believe you need a permit and high fencing to keep those birds. People sell chicks for just $75 here, I don't think it's something worthwhile to try.
Far safer, easier, friendlier and more fun birds out there to farm.

 

[Back to Nature]

Natural Bridge drive through zoo in VA had buffalo, but no idea how they managed to keep them in w/o crazy fencing.
I believe you need a permit and high fencing to keep those birds. People sell chicks for just $75 here, I don't think it's something worthwhile to try.
Far safer, easier, friendlier and more fun birds out there to farm.

It's not for profit. I just like ratites. I worked with ostriches in the zoo, and other than them accidentally pecking you to see if your clothing is edible, they were fun to be around. And "fun" is subjective. I probably won't get them, but it was an idea.

 

[dasher]

Hi, I just joined this forum to post about my sheep, but I came across this thread and wanted to share my love for ratites. Unfortunately, most people think ostriches and emu are aggressive and dangerous. Though it is true that a kick from an ostrich can break a bone, it's very unlikely one is actually going to kill you! Unless you are a small child or elderly and then you shouldn't be around them anyway. But female ostriches can be very nice if raised around people from a young age. I have experience with an ostrich and I loved her. She was a wonderful bird, very very sweet. Huge yes, but gentle and would never think about kicking anyone. I miss her very much and I'm looking forward to raising a few ostrich chicks this year. I do not think I would keep a male though, only because of my current setup. They are not really something that I would trust to interact with because of breeding behaviors. If you would like some nice pets stick with females, but if you don't mind a look, but don't touch animal, a male would be OK.

I also have experience with emu and they're great, too. Easier than an ostrich. The bad thing about both is they can be hard to get them into the "safety zone". They both have high chick mortality rates and are rather expensive as chicks. Around here you can get an emu for $50-$100 dollars a chick, but considering that it's relatively easy to lose one that is quite a lot. But nothing compared to the $150-$250 a chick an ostrich can be! I recommend buying the ratite encyclopedia book and reading through it before you make any decisions.

Good luck! I love these birds, they are truly dinosaurs.

 

[TGreenhut]

Hi, I just joined this forum to post about my sheep, but I came across this thread and wanted to share my love for ratites. Unfortunately, most people think ostriches and emu are aggressive and dangerous. Though it is true that a kick from an ostrich can break a bone, it's very unlikely one is actually going to kill you! Unless you are a small child or elderly and then you shouldn't be around them anyway. But female ostriches can be very nice if raised around people from a young age. I have experience with an ostrich and I loved her. She was a wonderful bird, very very sweet. Huge yes, but gentle and would never think about kicking anyone. I miss her very much and I'm looking forward to raising a few ostrich chicks this year. I do not think I would keep a male though, only because of my current setup. They are not really something that I would trust to interact with because of breeding behaviors. If you would like some nice pets stick with females, but if you don't mind a look, but don't touch animal, a male would be OK.

I also have experience with emu and they're great, too. Easier than an ostrich. The bad thing about both is they can be hard to get them into the "safety zone". They both have high chick mortality rates and are rather expensive as chicks. Around here you can get an emu for $50-$100 dollars a chick, but considering that it's relatively easy to lose one that is quite a lot. But nothing compared to the $150-$250 a chick an ostrich can be! I recommend buying the ratite encyclopedia book and reading through it before you make any decisions.

Good luck! I love these birds, they are truly dinosaurs.

I totally agree! I have three emus and right now they are pets as much as anything else. Males tend to be sweeter than females but females are still not mean. My 5 year old male follows me around and if I sit down he'll come sit ON MY LAP because he wants to be loved on. I also have two females who will let me pet them but they don't come asking for it. They come for food and shiny things, though.

Emu chicks tend to be $100 around here.

My females just turned a year old so they should start laying eggs very soon. Like you were thinking, I don't raise emus for profit, but I have many friends who are interested in buying eggs once they start laying. I have emus mainly because I just think they're really cool but I have found that they are EXCELLENT livestock guardians and they don't let any predators in the pasture. As funny as it sounds, if they are raised correctly, they make good pets.

Emus LOVE to run! They will sprint and bolt around the pastures, chasing each other for fun, so space is a necessity. They also love water so on warm days I give them baths and leave the sprinkler on for them (or else they would sit in the water troughs!).

Emus eat a fairly large amount. For my 3 emus, we go through 1, maybe 1 1/2, 50lb bags of ratite feed a week. Bags of feed cost about $13-15.

Emus seem to be pretty weather resistant so a barn is not needed, maybe just a 3-sided shelter. I have never had a sick emu either so they tend to be healthy, sufficient birds.

 

[dasher]

Awww, I enjoyed reading your comments on Emus. I'm really looking forward to getting a few in the near future. They're such wonderful birds. And no you can't really "do anything" with them, but they're wonderful companion animals and enjoyable to just sit and watch. I love sitting outside and watching my animals and emus are always entertaining.

 

[Walter Stupnik]

hi I am new to this blog but have a question about emus, I recently aquired three one lone male and a pair when intorduced to each other everything was fine for a couple days then the female made friends whith her new male and tried to kill her old mate. Since then she has gotten extremely aggresive and crazy when i go inside the pen. She has gotten to the point that she charges me and without my broom i would be in bad shape. HELP

 

[River Farm]

I am also thinking about getting emus. How old should I get them so that they are unlikely to die on me. Also what kind of setup do they need?