The Ins and Outs of Emu Egg Hatching - Part 1




Source: Backyard Chickens, Corny Caleb NJ Mar 26 2014



Most emu farmers would agree that incubating eggs is both a science and an art form. It is much more than just leaving it up to the incubator if you are interested in maximizing your hatch rate. We need to start with a strong foundation of "eggology" (not my term but I like it) and then we can tweak our reactions (this is the art) to problems as they arise. More on the scholarship but first some craftsmanship.


Nguna nynda ?, carved emu egg 2003,
 Barry Bellotti



Barry Bellotti's carved emu egg won the 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2003. According to Australia's Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory website, Bellotti is a self-taught artist from Carnarvon, WA. Wow, the detail is amazing. The artistic message communicated to this emu farmer is one of caution: "these little beings will be in your charge....be respectful."



Source: The Digital Morphology Library

And on the flip side or the inside as it were another form of artistry is captured in the 2D and 3D visualizations of the internal structure of vertebrates as performed by Digital Morphology, part of the National Science Foundation Digital Libraries Initiative. Here we can see how the fully developed emu chick is positioned. At hatch it will pip in a downward motion through the internal membrane to reach the air supply. A second pip of the outer shell will expose the beak and one foot. With a push, the second foot and spine will fracture the shell and release the chick fully breathing and able to stand in only a few hours.

So let's start with an overview of the anatomy of an egg:
 




Egg Anatomy. Source

http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/avianreproduction.html

An egg consists of 4 primary components:

 a yolk which provides the food supply to the embryo

the albumen is the source of water supply and also a shock-absorber

the shell membranes protect the egg from external bacteria and help prevent rapid evaporation of egg moisture

the egg shell has thousands of pores which allow for gas exchange



The diagram shows a generic avian egg and we should ask the question as to whether generic avian eggs and their development would be the same for emus. According to the Laboratory for Early Embryogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan "emu and chick embryogenesis proceeds through similar stages, but developmental heterochrony between these two species is widely observed." In other words the developmental stages are the same but the timing of size and shape will differ.

Having said that, this video depiction of the development of a chicken embryo will help with our science of emu egg hatching. 

So stay tuned for the next blog when we will talk about managing the necessary egg weight loss as the embryo develops during incubation.

Hatching Emu Eggs

Source: Wikipedia

The physical characteristics of an emu egg introduces a unique set of challenges for the farmer. The average emu egg ranges from 550-700 g with a multilayered shell about 3/4 mm thick. In addition it takes about 3 times as long as that of a chicken egg to hatch. So what are the egg hatching options?




Natural Incubation  Source: Wikipedia

After 6-10 emu eggs have been laid the male goes broody and sits on them for approximately 50 days. As the female averages 20 eggs a season it wouldn’t be practical for an emu farmer with segregated breeding pairs to cut the production of fertile eggs by a possible 60%. So each egg on our farm is collected every 3-4 days and stored until a workable hatch volume can be started. 

 
During the early 1990's hayday of emu farming typically the farmer’s business plan was to hatch as many eggs as possible. The chicks would then be sold to entry level emu farmers. Proven breeding pairs were going for as much as $40,000.00. As an emu egg is quite large, the garden variety chicken and duck incubators if modified would not produce the volumes necessary. So highly priced incubators came on the market and it was not uncommon to spend $10-15,000.00 for a machine that held hundreds of eggs. A few examples:



Hatchrite Incubator



N'Kobi Big Bird Series Incubator

Now 20+ years later most of these manufacturers have gone out of business. If one can acquire a used machine stored in a shed somewhere and is mechanical or has a friend, these cabinet incubators can be functional again. We had our N’Kobi Big Bird incubator in for repairs at Boulter Machine Works in Duncan this egg laying season and we were told that it was extremely well made and we should expect to use it for a good long time. The Hatchrite has a very strong following with a lot of people still using them since the 90’s. There is an enthusiast in Washington who has instruction manuals, parts resources and wiring diagrams etc, etc. His name is Kevin G. McCoy. Kevin has also recorded some YouTube videos that might help with Hatchrite refurbishing.

On a smaller scale the very reliable GQF incubator does come in an emu egg version. There are specific trays that can be purchased separately and it can hold 36 eggs at a time.


GQF Cabinet Incubator 1500

Large Egg setting tray and positioners

  

Still another option would be to import from another country such as China.

One of many designs from Alibaba

The price is often affordable and shipping by sea inexpensive if you have lots of time. However keep in mind that their mass target market is chicken and duck producers. One needs to ensure that manufacturer customisation of the egg trays and rotating shelves for emu incubation will do the job correctly.

Now finally, on a very large scale an insulated room can be dedicated for incubation and hatching. We toured this California emu farm linked here and were very impressed with their facility.

So as you can see there are many incubation options available. Start by deciding what size of an emu farm is it that you want and can afford. Then do your research. Remember that incubation is only one part of the infrastructure costs.

This final point brings up a whole other strategy to increase the size of your "mob".  You can source out a farmer that is selling hatched chicks. They are usually sold no younger that a week old from the farm gate rather than shipped. The going rate of around $100.00 factors in the partial expenses of the breeding pair and the operating costs of the 7 weeks of incubation. Sexed chicks would be more as this information would provide one extra leap forward in the plan.

Source: Wikipedia



Going With The Flow

Spring is well upon us and emu egg laying is almost at an end. Only a few weeks ago this alpha male was "very interested" in spreading the love with anything that walked by his fence line. His manner and his appearance (he will soon loose his black head feathers) have changed (turned off like a tap) to that of a docile "coming up 2": only interested in food consumption and catching some rays. That's good for us as we have been plagued with incubator problems this year and we are looking forward to hatching time.

taraxacum ruderalia maskros - wikimedia commons

Yes that's real farming (not the postcard version) and will need a lot more
discussion in subsequent posts.


What is not at an end this spring is the overabundance of dandelions. Having grown up in suburban Toronto, I have developed a killer instinct for these dreaded yellow weeds in the grass and the rose garden. And now living in farm country I find it is impossible to eradicate them if avoiding pesticides. However this year I have learned to embrace these nutrition laden delicacies as the emu love them. So at morning chore time I collect a bucket of dandelions and congratulate myself in avoiding vet bills and completing some square foot gardening all in one fell swoop.


So in the spirit of my new found happy dance I need to share two videos with you. The first shows a male emu courting his new prospective mate, however she will have the last word. (youtube.com Animal Planet)

 

And the second shows a music box version of the dance created by Di Holdsworth an Australian Music Box artist who lives in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney where the emus roam. (youtube.com Di Holdsworth)

                   
                   

Would you like some ham with that ...... green egg?

Yes we are livestock farmers here on Mt. Sicker Road and raising emu for their meat and fat. But as it is Spring and the Easter weekend we should probably talk about eggs.


By Zureks at Wikimedia Commons


An emu egg is about 10 times the size of a large chicken egg so one emu egg omelette will probably feed the whole family.  It has a very thick (3 thick layers and 4 paper thin layers) shell as the 125 lb. Emu Dad will be sitting on it and rolling it around for 52 days before the chick is hatched. Some people carve designs in the shell which exposes the lighter shades of green underneath. The inside looks very much like a chicken egg except that the paler looking and milder tasting yolk is almost half of the contents. It stands to reason as the yolk is used to nourish a developing emu chick and that takes 3 times as long as a chicken.

For cooking purposes the white has a little less water content and so will beat to a fluffier texture and the larger yolk is great for baking cakes.  Some mail order companies such as Clarence Court outside of Plymouth UK send out their edible emu eggs nestled tight in fancy boxes. Their website has fantastic egg recipes from quick and easy to complex. 

And from a health perspective, Japanese researchers report in 2010 that emu egg white has an unusually low allergenicity and suggest that emu egg white could replace its chicken equivalent in “industrial products”.

So no matter what kind of egg experience you have this Easter weekend we at Mt. Sicker Family Farm wish you a happy one.

In Australia when "fall is in the air" (Mar-May) it signals Emu Breeding Time

An illustration based on aboriginal style of dot painting
depicting emu (http://www.123rf.com/profile_deboracilli)

As this emu farm is well into breeding season I thought it was time to reflect on Australian emu roots.

Using an aboriginal symbol glossary as reference here is one Canadian emu farmer's interpretation of this dot painting by Debora Cilli.

Bottom right:  The concentric circles portray the social camaraderie of the emu community. Their nomadic travels through the temperate and grassland areas of Australia are depicted by the emu footprints entering and leaving the circle. Similarly when emu bed down for the night they gather in circle formation with their heads at the centre.

Centre Line:  The meandering centre line represents a river and depicts the constant searching by emu for this life force. It also separates the 6 months of social behaviour from the mating activities of breeding pairs.

Top Left:  Shows emu mating responsibilities: after she has laid 8-12 eggs he will know it is time to go broody and he will drive her away to find another mate.

Forums Like "Backyard Chickens" Are Useful Sources Of Information

This request came to the forum from someone on a small island in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. Followed by answers from this blog host......

"Questions on Raising 2 Emu Chicks with Alpaca, goats, sheep. We are thinking of introducing emu (1 or 2 chicks) to our little barnyard.."

1. Is it safe to house an emu with 3 alpaca, 2 Nubian goats, 2 babydoll southdown sheep all together? I have heard of people cohabiting emu with sheep and goats and if you heard about Lucy on the Loose BC news coverage then you will know that Lucy lives with a deer. I would think that one of the issues would be the size of their enclosure and whether there are places to take cover. Our emus have been raised with border collies around but never in the pen. Emus are very adaptable with gradual change but if startled will try to run away at great speed or if cornered come out kicking!

2. Is it best to have 1 emu? Emus are very social especially with their own kind. I had a single chick hatch and had to buy 3 Road Island Red chicks to keep it company. Emus on their own will usually make a strong bond with their owners, however it is not the same as another emu. I agree with Briefvisit that two females would not be a good idea. Females are generally the alpha of the species. The likelihood of one trying to drive the other away so that she is available for any passing emu males is very strong. Better to have a pair or two males in my opinion.


Source: Wikimedia Commons

3. Alpacas have big, shiny eyes! Can the emu hurt them? Emus are very curious and pecking is a large part of their daily activity. I would think shiny eyes would be irresistible.

4. Fencing...we have 4 foot fences all around our pastures. Four foot fencing works well with chicks up to 6-8 months. We also use it for our established breeders who are in 100x20' pens with wooden rails between the posts so that they can't get their body weight over . However the growout pens for 8-18 month olds are much larger in area and so we use 6' wire. Remember that a bird being chased by another emu will pickup a good speed and can jump amazingly high when aided with their strong toes climbing the fencing.
 Check out http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/49/ostriches-emu-rheas

If It Looks Like Poultry And Walks Like Poultry, Then It's Probably Poultry.....NOT

Click to see Emu Feather detail

Emus have feathers like poultry however with specialized characteristics. They range from 1 inch to 1.5 feet long and two feathers come out of the same quill. Their barbless quality (unlike ducks) makes the feathers smooth like fur and easier to puff up for cooling in the summer or creating an insulating air space in winter. Not to diminish the fact that puffing is very effective when impressing your mate or intimidating the competition.

Emu Feathers on a windy day

Most birds have a keel shaped breast bone that enables the wing muscles to attach to the body. Emus are flightless birds and like other ratites and penguins have a flat breast bone (see previous post for skeleton diagram).






And most importantly from a meat production prospective emu is a wise alternative for farmers. Their meat is lean and the pH of their flesh is similar to beef. Therefore, emu is classified as red meat for cooking purposes and heart healthy as studies have shown.