Managing egg production Emus begin breeding at about 20-24
months. Young adults and other unpaired adults should be run in
groups in large pens allowing each emu to choose its own mate
thus forming compatible pairs; this increases egg fertility.
(Selective pairing will begin to take place from
December/January each year.) If each pen has only one pair of
emus, they may be incompatible and poor matings will result, so
decreasing egg fertility and possible bird injury. When pairs
form, they can then be separated into individual breeding pens.
If the pair performs well, they can be left as a pair or, if you
wish to split them, they can be put into the large group pen
after the breeding season has finished. Alternatively, breeding
emus can be left as a group in a large pen and not segregated
into individual breeding pens. If this option is chosen it is
important to give them sufficient space to avoid fighting and to
sex the birds so that the male:female sex ratio is about equal.
Hens will begin to lay from mid to