EMU

CHARACTERISTICS: It is the second largest bird in the world; it can reach more than 1,70m in height and more than 60 kilos in weight. They are birds that have adapted to terrestrial life using their feet, strong and well-developed, as their sole means of locomotion. The wings on the other hand have atrophied and are no longer capable of flight. The male and the female are similar in appearance.
DIET: Based on vegetable material, fruit, seeds and shoots, they also eat some insects.
REPRODUCTION: From February to March one or more females deposit between 5 to 10 eggs each in a nest on the ground. The nest tends to be under the shelter of bushes and is made from vegetation. The clutch can be anything from five to twenty eggs in total. The male is solely responsible for incubation, which lasts some 58-61 days. They do not abandon the nest for anything, neither to eat nor drink, and they gain nourishment purely from their own fat reserves.
CURIOSITIES: The chicks that ingest a greater quantity of protein, above all in caterpillars and grasshoppers, need a certain amount of pebbles or small stones to facilitate the digestion of the food. Emu breeding is one of the highest yield livestock activities and of greatest growth. Breeding them is relatively simple and presents many advantages.