How to transport an Emu and How to Get her to Her Pen? And other Q's

[chickenzoo]

If she is an adult female she should do some sideways walking and make a booming sound in her chest, they also have a more swaying fuller tufft of feathers in the bottom neck,chest area.
Ask the owners for some food for a few days. Mine do not get emu chow, but I make a mix of horse feed, dog food, pheasant chow, chicken food etc..

 

[Sumatra503]

I have transported our 400lb sow in the trailer, so sturdy is what describes it I should think. It is just regular woven wire secured with industrial strength zip ties to the sided of the trailer. It is sturdy enough and the wire is 6 feet tall.

I talked to the guy who owns her and he says she's a 6 month old, half grown emu, so not nearly as big as I was originally thinking, so the trailer will probably work to transport her.

I just got some Emu eggs from a person over the web, but that's another story. Which means I may not go and get her after all.

 

[foulman007]

Quote:
please please please make a video of you trying to get a FEMALE emu into a station wagon. you will be able to pay for most of your doc bill with the profits.

I cant get my female to go thru a 4 ' wide fence....

 

[chickenzoo]

 

[mikeinri]

Here is a thought. One of my big bad pits. A female who is the elder and the pak leader is scared to death of thunder. So bad that we got her meds for storms. Let me tell you, one of those and the dog doesn't know where it's legs are. After the first time we didn't give her any more because she was so stoned.

So can doggie downers be used for emus? Use a weak dose just to calm them down for a trip.

 

[casuarius]

You can never force them into a small space, they need room. Their legs are around 7 times stronger than ours, and as chickenzoo said, can be very dangerous when kicking and trying to get away. It usually takes several people to hold one down and bind the legs, and then you risk injury to both the bird and the people. I've always used horse trailers that are closed up well enough that they cant jump out somewhere, or I have huge crates that I haul built for my cassowaries that I haul them in. Crates are 5 ft tall, by 3 ft wide, and 5 ft long. With emus, I stand next to them, and reach one arm over them and grab both wings and simply walk them really fast to where I want them. When I get them to the box or trailer I want them in, I let go of the further wing while holding the other, and grab their rear and push them into the enclosure really fast. Sounds hard, but when you've done it as long as I have, its actually the easiest way other than building a shoot to run them into and push them up into the trailer with a shield.

 

[chickenzoo]

Quote:
I don't think I would risk sadation on a bird, as they do not come out of it as easily as large animals do.

A trailer with a large area more suited for livestock is best.

 

[noriko]

I would use the Large dog crate and sock her head. This will keep her from hurting herself on the car interior or falling down in the trailer. I have moved mine in large carriers and I like this way the best. If you are strong enough to carry the bird you can get it in there without much difficulty and it can't stand up or get the leverage to kick hard while sitting. If you cant find Rattie feed, turkey finisher works for a while.

 

[Rosaleen]

Watch out for those feet....can be very dangerous.

 

[RayRay at Emu Desert Farm]

I will possibly be purchasing a 3 year old adult female Emu. It is a 2 hour drive to pick her up and bring her home. I am very excited to get her, but I have a couple of situations here and I thought i would pick your brains. I am not entirely for sure getting her, but I would still like to know and maybe these questions will help someone else.

First off I need to know a bit about transporting Emus. My most reliable vehicle is my Carola Station Wagon. I'm not sure if the truck would make the drive up there, so I would be transporting her in the hatch back part of the car with the seat folded down. I have a gate that will separate her from the front seat and it is pretty roomy back there. I could open up either the hatch door in the back or one of the side doors to load her into the car. I also have a large plastic dog crate that i could use, but I would like her to have a lot of room.

How do you foresee this working? Any tips for transporting will be helpful.

Second is the other problem. There is no way to drive the car directly to the Emu pen. I would have to get her from the car about 50 feet to the pen. I have some 6' fencing that I could make an alleyway out of and herd her into the pen, but I have a couple of questions for you.

Are emus easy to herd? Like into the car and down the alley way?

Also, since I will have to climb into the back of the car with her, How prone are they to inflicting injury when they are scared? She seems tame, but my brain just works that way.

How do emus behave when are really stressed? As I'm sure she will be and i don't want either of us getting hurt.

Do think this is a better one person job to keep her less stressed out or is it better to have a helper when working with Emus.

Also, is Payback Provider a suitable temporary feed for an Emu until I find a place that sells Ratite food?

Here's the CL Ad I'm thinking I could possibly bargain, but then again it is a good deal and he lives in Oregon!

In response to transporting an Emu: Emus can scare easily and that can make them dangerous to people and other animals that are around them. Emus should be transported in a horse trailer with a roof. The animal should only have enough room to stand and lay down. Make sure that they have water and food for the trip. Make sure that you pick up your emu and drive straight to your house without any stops at the local store. Make sure that you keep your new emu separate from any other emus on your property for a couple of weeks so that they can get used to each other and then introduce the new bird to your other emus a little at a time. Remember emus like to be in groups of atleast 2 per pen. Also, you need a male if the new bird is a female if you want eggs and chicks. Good luck with your new emu.
Ray Ray