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Re: What to do with an emu?




Dear Mikal

1) Source of very large eggs -- though never having kept them, I'm not sure
how often they lay. Probably just one clutch a year at that..

2) Emus have very strong legs, so need strong high fencing to keep them in...

3) Feathers: fluffy, decorative, probably not an economic crop. Some will
drop off, emus are likely to vigorously resist non-lethal plucking.

4) Emu oil is traditional Aboriginal muscle rub, chest rub,
good-fer-what-ails you. But collecting it requires err, butchering the
birds...

5) Start a zoo?  



At 22:17 08/12/00 -0800, you wrote:
>Does anyone have any experience with emus in a Pc setting? Emus are a
>popular get rich quick scheme around here. Lots of people try them only to
>find out it's actually more work than they want to do, or the birds become
>pets and the owners don't want to butcher them. So, now and again there are
>free emus. (Sometimes they're just let loose, and you hear these "found
>emu--please claim" ads on the radio.) I have the, um, opportunity to get a
>breeding pair for free. Foolishly, I'm going to go look at them tomorrow. 
>
>But what the heck good are they if they're not eaten? My critters are for
>companionship or useful tasks they perform while alive (ducks eating slugs,
>etc.). I could never kill something that big. They'd be fun to have roaming
>around (I guess...), but I'm wondering how they'd earn their keep on my
>place. I envision having to build extra strong fences to keep them off the
>road, then shelling out money for truckloads of food every month. 
>
>My next stop this evening is a Web search for basic emu info, but if anyone
>knows how they might fit into Pc, I'd love to hear it!
>
>Mikal 
>
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>
Judith Hanna
jehanna@gn.apc.org
15 Jansons Rd, Tottenham, London N15 4JU