Instructions
Make sure you have a healthy emus. Schedule an appointment with a veterinarian or obtain veterinary records from the previous owner to ensure this. Females must be healthy enough to lay the eggs, but the male emus must be in good enough health to incubate and rear the chicks before and after they hatch.
Obtain references from their previous owners. This will give you a good frame of reference for how many eggs the pair may produce in the future, based on previous partners of the male as well as the number of eggs the female has produced in previous seasons.
Provide a safe breeding environment. Before you even test a potential breeding couple, you must provide a safe environment to raise them. If threatened, your egg count and survival rate will dwindle, as well as your emu population. The biggest hindrance to breeding in any species is the stress of being vulnerable to predators, so keep them well protected.
Watch what happens. If you have determined that your emus are compatible, or at least appear to be, bring them together and allow them to mate for one season. Mark how successful the mating has been. Is there a high volume of eggs and how many eggs survive? The mark of success will come when you can breed a pair of emus that can get a 70% to 80% survival rate for their eggs in their first season. Then you'll know you have chosen the right pair of emus to breed.
How to Choose a Breeding Pair of Emus
Breeding emus can be a difficult task, especially if you are new to emu farming. Female emus can lay between 5 and 20 eggs a season, but if they are with a successful mate (or mates), they can increase that number to almost 50 eggs. Here are some tips to ensure a successful breeding season for your emus.