Emu Ranchers Hardly Winging It Low Maintenance, High Return Making Big Birds A Big Business

Unlike other livestock fads that have come and gone, emu ranchers say their choice of livestock will endure the test of time and increase in popularity and productivity.

The domestication and breeding of emus - a member of the ratite family of large, flightless birds - is not a new venture.

The United States emu industry began about 10 years ago in Texas.

The American Emu Association has about 6,000 members, with about 46 members in the Idaho Emu Association, association president Mike Sauer said.

Of an estimated 10,000 emu ranchers nationwide, about 100 are in Idaho.

Sauer began his business by establishing his breeding stock, but now he has turned to raising birds for meat production.

More Idaho ranchers have begun to focus on meat production since the Idaho Department of Agriculture set slaughter guidelines for inspection.

Federal guidelines expected early next year would stimulate the industry to increase its production of slaughter stock, he said.

Low maintenance and potential for a high return make raising emus an economically attractive undertaking.

Sauer’s operation runs 60 head of emu on two acres.

Bob and Karol VandenBosch and business associate Wes Ferris of Glenns Ferry are raising 10 emus on less than one acre at their Idaho Down Under ranch in Glenns Ferry.

Getting started in the business can be costly since breeding pairs can cost as much as $15,000. But the birds produce a variety of products.

The meat - similar in taste and texture to veal - sells for about $10 per pound. Studies have found emu meat lower in cholesterol, fat and calories than any other meat, including turkey and chicken.

An adult emu also can supply about eight square feet of soft, pliable leather, which is used to make purses, belts and other accessories.

At a cost of $150 per quart, emu oil is used as an additive in medicinal salves and cosmetics. And emu feathers are used by the auto industry to cushion steering wheels.

Emus mature sexually at about 18 months and will continue to produce young for 20 years. Once pairs of emus can be suitably matched, mating will begin in October or November. But emus tend to be rather particular about their mates.

Each female will lay 20 to 22 midnight blue eggs annually.

Breeders use incubators to hatch and rear domestic stock.

Emus reach slaughter age in 14 months.

The birds require relatively easy care and maintenance. They adapt to almost any climate because of the furlike quality of their undercoats. A special feed, similar to chicken feed, keeps emus’ dietary needs in balance. The annual cost of feeding one emu is about $100, Sauer said.

Emus are also nose-friendly. No portion of an emu, including its feces, smells.

The birds have a docile disposition toward humans but can be dangerously aggressive toward other emus.