Keeping "free-choice" feed available to 500 + emus is a major undertaking. Much planning and constant monitoring is necessary.

Emu chicks grow SO FAST their feed absolutely MUST be correct in every sense. If it isn't, their skeleton will mal-form and cause problems. Usually, crooked neck or legs are the first sign that feed isn't correct. Emus grow from 6 inches tall to 5 feet tall in ten months!

Actually, even in nature, some emus do have skeletal problems. If you hatch say, 500 chicks there will be two or three with leg or neck problems no matter how good your feed program is. This is true in the cattle and chicken industry too. Feed must be correct. The fact is, you can't have 500 of anything, even people, without problems.

Of course, the feed should be free of medications, growth hormones, steroids, etc.

Small newly hatched chicks need to have crumble feed with 20% protein. Some gamebird mixes will do well. After three weeks, mix the crumble with grower feed pellets. When the chicks are four weeks old, change to straight grower feed. At one year of age, change to a high fat finisher feed.

The old saying of "you are what you eat" is never more accurate than with emus. You cannot starve a profit from cattle, chickens, pigs, or anthing, and emus are no exception. The profit for an agri-business is in the feed. Emus are normally processed at 18 months and should produce a minimum of twenty pounds of fat.

Feed Truck With Auger - 2 1/2 Ton Feeder

Emu Oil Depot Videos

Feed Truck With Auger - 1 min 35 seconds

In the video above, you can see it is winter because the grass is brown, etc. The emus in this video were six inches tall ten months ago!