Emu Schemes - Maladies of our time

I am seeing a lot, a lot of lot, advertisements in the Tamil Newspapers, Radio and TV Media, for Emu Farming and its dubious schemes. I am little worried about the stupendous nature of the propaganda, and associated 'freebies'.

I am not sure about other states. People can share them in the comments of this blog.

Only one word, beware...!!!  Be cautious about your hard-earned money on these schemes.

Why I am worried?

1. There is no effective meat market developed yet for export or for local sale and there is no symptoms of it, so far. In my opinion, exporting emu meat is simply not profitable. It has to be sold locally.

2. Unimaginable monthly returns are assured and tempted with Gold Coins. In my opinion, the industry is heading to peak for this year 2012 season (September 2012 to February 2013), and will go down for the next season.

3. Officials from Veterinary Departments, preferred to stay away from saying any comments on this business, since they are not very sure of where it is going. There is no guidance or regulations from the government.

So, whom to beleive in? The game is keep going, and let's see how long will it go.

There are several stories are floating. One thing is certain as the money collected is not purely invested in Emu Farming Business alone. It goes somewhere..!!.

The Egg Season has begun....!!!

Emu Breeders started laying. I also contacted several other people, and many of them confirmed their Breeders started laying, but not started in full swing.

Please note, when the season actually begins, not all the breeders will lay eggs. One or two pair will start laying eggs initially, and to kick off the momentum it will take atleast 2-3 weeks. Until then, you cannot start your incubator. Because to start an Incubator, you need a reasonable quantity of eggs to sustain the cost of production.

What to do with the eggs until then...?

You can keep it in Fridge at 18 degree celcius, for upto 15 days. Or, you can keep it in a dark, cold place inside a clay pot. When you are taking out the eggs from Fridge storage, keep the egg in open space at room temperature for a minimum of 8 hours for the eggs to stabilize.

The price of the eggs?.....  Good question, wait for atleast next 10 days..!!  This is the Demand and Supply equation.

Emu Eggs - Some Facts

Now, Emu industry is quite, because everyone is concentrating on collecting eggs, and monitoring their hatcheries. This is the Egg Laying season, and several of them already have chicks in their Hatcheries. Let's look into some interesting facts about Emu Eggs.

Laying Cycle:

• Emu birds lay eggs in a cycle of 5 or 6 eggs in a month. 
• After each cycle, there will be a gap of one week.
• Gap between two eggs is 72-74 hours (3 days).
• Emu Eggs weighs 400grams to 700 grams in general. 
• Average weight is 550 grams.
• In an average, there will be 4-6 cycles every season. (5x4=20eggs min; 6x6=36eggs max)
• Eggs will be laid in evenings or in early mornings. You can collect them around 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. 

Egg Types:

• Each egg from a pair will be of same size and same weight, most of the times.
• Eggs are in dark green color with thick shell.
• Eggs are sometime in light green (whitish) color, which shows that some nutrients are missing, especially calcium. Add calcium supplements to the feed.
• Sometimes, you will get shell-less eggs -  eggs with just thick white membrane. This is caused by serious calcium deficiency. Add seashells powder to the feed.
• Eggs rarely formed a double-yoke. Double yoke eggs weigh almost 900grams to 1200 grams. These are useless, they never hatch. Better use it for "Big Family Omlette or Party Omlette"

Egg Handling:

• Egg handling does decide the hatchability of the Eggs.
• Egg has to be collected shortly after the laying. Do not leave it in open yard for too long.
• Egg has to be cleaned before storing. Clean it with a Warm water, and then use an antiseptic liquid with a cotton to clean it. This is to prevent bacterias.
• Store the eggs in below normal temperature, say 22-26 degree celcius. If you couldn't maintain at that temperature, use a dark place to store it. A earthern pot is also useful.
• While storing the eggs, keep them in horizontal state. Do not keep them upwards.
• Use it within 7 days of storage (in a dark room condition). If you are storing at 22-26 degrees, you can keep it for upto 3 weeks (I have tested and the hatchability is 80%).
• While transporting from location to another location, use a thermocol box, which has been designed to carry the eggs. Otherwise, road conditions may prove fatal for the eggs.

Egg Buying:

• Eggs are sold to Hatcheries, where people do not have their own incubators.
• Do not buy eggs from a distance of not more than 3-hours travelling time. 
• To ensure the air bag is intact inside the egg, use a warm water to test the eggs. If the air bag is intact, the Egg will float. Otherwise, it will sink.
• Visit the farm atleast once, where the eggs are coming from. Teach them the above mentioned Egg-handling habits.

I would appreciate people can feedback on the Egg prices in their region, as a response to this post.

Emu Farming - Frequently Asked Questions

Emu Farming is quite complex subject for newbies, it seems. May be they are unable to search for information in the 'net world'. For the people, who are eager to start the emu farm, but worried inside whether this is good, and will i be able to retrieve the profit, and host of other questions in mind.

To address the concerns of newbies, I am giving a FAQ on emu farming based on my experience and what I have studied. If you have questions unanswered here, please write to me at jmemufarm(at)gmail(dot)com.

Qn.# 1. Can Emu birds live in Harsh Weather Conditions?

Ans: Yes. It can live in varied conditions, from hot desert to cold climates. However, if it has to mate and lay more eggs, the climate shall be moderate cool, i.e., 28-32 degree celcius. Hill climates are good for this throughout the year, anyhow, during winter season, most of India has this climate, hence, there won't be any issues across various states of india.

Qn.# 2. Does it require a shelter?

Ans: Yes. Shelter may be small enough to accommodate during raining and for mating. It enjoys water, whether it is rain or pond or shower. During mating, it needs some secluded space, otherwise, it feels shy, and will not mate.

Qn.#3. Does other animals co-habit with Emu?

Ans: Partially Yes. We have not seen other birds are grown side-by-side. In fact, emu is highly resistant to normal diseases affecting other birds (e.g., chicken, etc). Ranikhet is the major disease known to affect Emu seriously. Hence, avoid other birds, if they are susceptible to carrying Ranikhet, in your farm or nearby farms.

Qn.#4. Does snakes bite Emus?

Ans: Emu can run away from Snakes, or it will just throw it away using its peeks. Normally, Sankes won't come near to emus.

Qn. #5. How to manage the eggs, until it is collected by the buyer?

Ans: You can keep Emu Eggs in a slightly cool condition (a dark place in your house or farm house or inside the earthen pot). Handle them without shaking, and place it in horizontal way. Do not stack eggs one on the other. Use, soft material to separate eggs. There are thermocol boxes available. You can buy them and use it to store. Do not keep the eggs for more than 7-days, its hatchability may reduce. While collection of the eggs from the field, use Dettal with cotton to wipe out any dirts.

If you have questions unanswered here, please write to me at jmemufarm(at)gmail(dot)com.