Kenny and Edith were our first two farm emus! We got them when they were four and five weeks old. Even though we named them, we have no idea if they are boys or girls. Our best guess based on their looks and development is that Kenny is a girl and Edith is the boy. We have guessed this because Kenny is larger (slightly) and Edith has a bluer face with less feathers. Kenny and Edith are Blonde Emu.
Pebbles and BamBam are our second pair of emus – we hatched them from eggs we had shipped to us in 2023. We did send their shells in for DNA testing and were told they are both female. Pebbles and BamBam are Standard Colored Emu.
Fast forward to 2025. We found out all four of our emu were female! How did we learn this? They started laying eggs all at the same time! They also had some hormone behavior to work out, which resulted in some chasing and running into fences. We know four females weren’t a sustainable group, as the ratio in the emu world should really be more males than females. The females choose their mate, date exclusively until the female lays a clutch of eggs, then the male will begin to sit, and the female will find a new boyfriend and start again. Knowing we had all females and it was time to make a change, Sandi posted in a farm facebook group that we had adult emus to rehome. An emu farm found us, and said they’d take all the girls that day, so with tears in our eyes we said yes. They came, we helped load the girls into the trailer and said our goodbyes. (This was Monday).
We were sad every day, missing our emus, and who we were with them. By Thursday, after three sleepless nights, an aching heart, and endless hours of watching videos and photos of our babies, Sandi had to do something, so she reached back out the farm that took the emus saying “I may be crazy but I didn’t realize I’d miss them so much…is there any way we could get them back from you? Maybe even just the two we hatched? “And the farm said of course, they totally understood. They offered to bring the girls back for us, and suggested that they send a male with them so we’d have at least one male, who we named Sam, and our two females back, Pebbles and Bam Bam! Not everyone would be so understanding, and the farm was under no obligation to let us get the girls back, but luckily we made the right decision when we let them go with them. Not only did we get our girls and Sam back, but they delivered them back to our door (an hour and forty minutes each way!). While we miss Kenny and Edith, we are thrilled with our girls and Sam fits right in with them.
Learn about Emu
Let’s talk about emu behaviors and sounds!
As an emu grows up, between 18-24 months they tend to start their grown-up sounds. Female emu make a deep drumming sound. A male sounds more like a grunt (think of a pig sound). A younger female may also grunt before they start to drum. Both male and female emus use a hissing sound as a form of warning that they don’t like something!
Emu sounds: Drumming and Grunting
Drumming – emus drum for many reasons. Females use it to declare their space/territory and to call their mate. Females may become more regal looking and hold her head back/down and puff her chest and strut to show off.
Male emus are typically more docile than the females. During mating season it’s the female who chooses which male she will select to be with and they will pair off for breeding season. They do not mate for life – just for the season. Once the female lays eggs, it’s the male who will sit on the eggs and hatch them, and raise the young for 5-18 months.
Emu Sleep
Emus and sleep: emus sleep once the sun sets. Resting on their hocks they will curl their necks back over their bodies. They may get up to stretch throughout the night. They do also nap this way during the day.
Emu Shelter & Fences
An emu fence should be 5′ tall at least! They can run and jump out of smaller enclosures very easily if scared or spooked.
Emu shelters can be three sided structures with a roof to keep them out of severe weather, though they handle rain and snow just fine and will often be out and about in weather we humans would rather stay out of!
When first starting with emu we learned to keep their pens rounded while they learn to walk and run – they pace the fence lines and if they are in too small of a space and have corners their legs may not develop properly. Emu need space to RUN!
Emu Feathers
Emu feathers are double shafted – there are two feathers that grow out of one shaft. The feathers toward their back end rattle and this sound is used to deter predators. They do molt during the early spring and summer and will have feathers loosen and fall off.
Emu tend to chase things out of fun – but they can and will accidentally or intentionally step on and trample smaller animals. Our emus have become used to our chickens and dogs running arond with them on a regular basis – and they do get curious when we let the other animals in with them like the goats, pigs and alpacas.
Emu Diet
Emu eat leaves, plants, bugs, and grass. They will put just about anything in their beak and peck shiny and interesting things- they have been known to swallow jewelry (not ours!)
Our emu eat a mix of ratite feed by Kalmbach, rabbit pellets, chicken layer feed, and their favorite treat is cat food! We also mix cat food with their daily food – which we have been doing 2-3x a day, but we do notice now that spring is here that they are eating a lot more so we are adding more food during the day. Treats they enjoy are kale, peas, blueberries and apples!
Meet our EMU!
If you want to meet the emus on our farm, check the calendar for farm tours offered during the summer – or send a note to schedule a private tour.