- Nov 9, 2013
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As fast as I can type
Tooshtoosh abandoned his clutch of five chicks mid-last-winter. That was 8 months ago. We have lost one chick. The remaining four are of interest to us because it's the first time ever we've observed a 'clutch' -- we didn't know that abandoned chicks stay a clutch -- in their second year of development.
So, brief: they're big and sassy. Just a few pounds under full adult weight. No white 'ruff' of feathers around their necks yet.
Two are now making boy emu noises, one more than the other. The chick seems happy to just walk about making boy-emu noises.
Now here's my bit of theory:
you read about emu-farm emus mating at early ages. Well, okay. But my theory is that there is a significant gap between a wild emu being physically mature, and an emu being socially mature.
Here's the math: emus start forming breeding-pairs around late summer/early autumn. Now, let's consider Emu X. In her/his second year, X will be about 17 months old when breeding season begins (forming-pairs season). So in order to secure a partner, X will need to go mano a mano with fully-grown birds, and that just isn't gonna happen. We have observed some feisty females over the years: LimpyChick, Felicity, Number One. Only a 17-month-old with rocks in its head would throw its hat in the ring with the legendary Greedy the Emu. I've seen her single-handedly attack a dozen wild birds at a time.
And we also know that several of the Planet Rothschildi birds have not bread until their third or fourth year. Felicity spent several years in exile here (until Greedy left).
So that's the theory: perhaps wild emus are physically able to breed at 24 months old -- that's their third spring, coming into their third year -- but they are not powerful enough to secure a partner until late summer of that third year.
Supreme Emu
PS They're eating my compost! I had a barrow of 'soil' happening along in an old barrow by the house: soggy straw and balls of sheep poo and lots of insects. And the chicks have been systematically eating it!! They've eaten almost a ten-litre bucket of it. Bad chicks! Evil chicks!
Tooshtoosh abandoned his clutch of five chicks mid-last-winter. That was 8 months ago. We have lost one chick. The remaining four are of interest to us because it's the first time ever we've observed a 'clutch' -- we didn't know that abandoned chicks stay a clutch -- in their second year of development.
So, brief: they're big and sassy. Just a few pounds under full adult weight. No white 'ruff' of feathers around their necks yet.
Two are now making boy emu noises, one more than the other. The chick seems happy to just walk about making boy-emu noises.
Now here's my bit of theory:
you read about emu-farm emus mating at early ages. Well, okay. But my theory is that there is a significant gap between a wild emu being physically mature, and an emu being socially mature.
Here's the math: emus start forming breeding-pairs around late summer/early autumn. Now, let's consider Emu X. In her/his second year, X will be about 17 months old when breeding season begins (forming-pairs season). So in order to secure a partner, X will need to go mano a mano with fully-grown birds, and that just isn't gonna happen. We have observed some feisty females over the years: LimpyChick, Felicity, Number One. Only a 17-month-old with rocks in its head would throw its hat in the ring with the legendary Greedy the Emu. I've seen her single-handedly attack a dozen wild birds at a time.
And we also know that several of the Planet Rothschildi birds have not bread until their third or fourth year. Felicity spent several years in exile here (until Greedy left).
So that's the theory: perhaps wild emus are physically able to breed at 24 months old -- that's their third spring, coming into their third year -- but they are not powerful enough to secure a partner until late summer of that third year.
Supreme Emu
PS They're eating my compost! I had a barrow of 'soil' happening along in an old barrow by the house: soggy straw and balls of sheep poo and lots of insects. And the chicks have been systematically eating it!! They've eaten almost a ten-litre bucket of it. Bad chicks! Evil chicks!
