Thimble Thoughts: EMU.....An AMAZING Bird

Saturday, May 20, 2006

EMU.....An AMAZING Bird

Friday, we went to Brother Joe's Emu Ranch. Bushy Creek Emu Ranch. It was so interesting. We learned a lot about this extraordinary bird. And of course, here are our pictures....

Brother Joe.

Justin C. Holding an Emu feather. The Emu is the only
bird that has more than one feather on one quill.

The Emu eats both vegetation and meat. Its beak is
serrated for cutting meat.

The Emu has a very sharp third claw. It can kill instantly
with this claw and so they must be approached very carefully from
behind.

Emus mate for life and are very territorial so they are pinned
in separate pins with their mates only. The female masks the
sound of a drum and the male grunts like a pig. This is their way
of communicating. These particular Emus here are named
Bonnie and Clyde.

This is Baby Sam enjoying his ride in the stroller. Isn't he
the picture of comfort? It wasn't long after this pic that he
was sound asleep. Bless his heart.

Here is Michaela smelling a flower. Isn't that precious?

This was the incubation house.

Jamie C is holding an empty Emu egg. Besides the eggs
being eaten, they are also made into night lights by carving
designs into them and some are painted. They are so lovely
when they are painted.

This is Mr. Blanton, Brother Joe's Father-in-law and partner.

This is what they use to cook down the Emu fat to make
Emu oil, which is used for all sorts of medicinal purposes.

Here is Laurel watching the oil drip into the vat.

Brother Joe is holding a pack of Emu meat. I asked him
how it tasted, expecting him to say, "Like chicken," but he said
it tasted like beef.

Brother Joe was showing us two Emu eggs. One was smooth
and sort of a teal green while the other was a dark green and
textured. The smooth teal green is an egg that was laid before
it got it's last layer.