BirdHobbyist.com Chance Duncan Ratites March 3, 2007 PHXue: Chance Duncan is a 24 year old university student studying Life and Earth Science Education for the Secondary Level, and will soon be a middle-high school science teacher. He has been interested in animals for the better part of his life, especially those somewhat out of the norm, such as reptiles and giant birds. His interest in ratites began when he was in middle school and watched the ratite industry take a nose dive into the ground. He bought his first emu chicks for $40 each in 1996 (the year or two previously they were $2-5k each!), and it's been love ever since. He has now bred emus and rheas, and has hatched ostriches. He currently breeds normal and blond emus, gray and white rheas, and has high hopes for cassowaries in the very near future. The future also holds greater expansion in the emu color mutations to include whites. He keeps his birds on 14 acres in a rural part of Arkansas. PHXue: Chance, did you want to do a brief intro first before you start taking questions? Chance: Hmm, well I'll preface by saying that though I have studied these birds for a while, I'm of course no expert. I'm an amateur hobbyist at best, so I may not have an answer to every question, but I'll give it my best. I find these animals more fascinating than any other. fireladie: What do ratites eat in captivity, and what is the diffence in diet between captive vs wild diet? Chance: I'll begin with captive vs. wild diets. Ratites in the wild are, to the very best of my explanation, opportunistic browsers. They'll eat anything from grasses and seeds to small vertebrates, including small birds! In captivity they can survive and even thrive on diets ranging from dog or rabbit food to generic livestock (cattle) pellets. Rouen: Do you have to suplement them with anything, like chickens need calcium? Chance: Because I keep emus and rheas in the same pen, which have alternating breeding seasons (fall/winter for emus, spring/summer for rheas) I keep a constant supply of oyster shell near their food, though not in it, for them to freely take whenever they feel the need. They do eat this occasionally. With the chicks, I supplement their ground diet with powdered milk replacement to add calcium and trace elements to help their legs. PHXue: What about medical care? If you have problems/concerns? I know it's hard enough finding vet care for exotic birds, even parakeets. I'm sure it must be even MORE difficult to find care for rattities, isn't it? Chance: Well, the ratite boom of the 80s and early 90s actually spawned a huge amount of research into these birds' medical needs. Imagine a $30k bird getting a cold! You're going to scramble and do whatever to keep it alive! So there are numerous texts vets can pull from to reference most medical maladies they encounter. Of course it depends on where you live as well. Chance: In more rural areas, you're more likely to find vets who are able (and willing!) to work on them, because they're already dealing with large livestock. In the middle of a large city, you may find more difficulty...though of course you probably won't have a big bird then anyway...lol. PHXue: wow, and you have that available in ARKANSAS??? Chance: Yep, AR was one of the biggest ratite states next to TX, OK, and NM KLG: Chance - would you suggest emus or rheas as a better choice for someone interested in keeping ratites? KLG: As a starter species, that is. Chance: If you want a pet that is hands on, defintely a male emu is the best choice. Get a chick, as young as possible, and raise it like it was your own child. The bird will end up being more affectionate than some dogs! However, emus can jump fences rheas could never dream. If you're limited on space and fence height, I'd recommend a rhea, though it's very rare to find a rhea that will tolerate physical contact....unless it's a male trying to nail you! (with it's beak that is!) KLG: LOL...ok! Good to know! TY Chance! Chance: So I guess I'd say overall, emus are the best starter species, especially if you're wanting a giant bird as a pet. fireladie: how many eggs does the average ostrich lay, and how many end up fertile? Chance: Hmm, good question. Ostriches reportedly can lay up to 100 eggs+ in a single season (which is about 4 months in duration), but a more typical number is probably 50-60. Fertility will depend on the virility of the male and how many females he's...uhh...'servicing' at the time. The more he has on his plate, the more thinly spread he is.....gah, bad analogy. lol Rouen: Chance whats the average fertility rate among your flock(herd?)? Chance: For the emus, it's nearly 100% because they rarely lay an egg unless it has been fertilized (the male mates with the female every 3 days or so to ensure fertility). My rhea fertility was down last year at around 60%, probably due to my adults getting up there in age. Chance: and they are flocks :) KLG: How cold-tolerant are emus? What would you recommend for appropriate winter housing in a climate that can easily reach single digit temps during the colder months? Or is it wiser not to risk exposing them to, say, a New England winter at all? ;) KLG: Obviously we don't want emucicles. (although pronounced out loud, 'emucicles' is a funny word!) PHXue: mmmmmmmmmmmm, emucicles PHFaust: LOL PHXue: lasts a long time Chance: Emus are EXTREMELY cold tolerant ratites, maybe more so than all the others. You can give them a shelter, sure, but unless you physically put them in there, they'll rarely use it. People in mid latitudes in Canada have successfully raised both emus and rheas. Chance: Of course if it gets really cold, you could shoe them into a barn with heat and make them stay in there until it gets a bit warmer. I doubt they'd notice much though. KLG: I just would be horrified to come out one morning & find emu statues out back..egh! Chance: Cassowaries are the only ones that can't be kept in very cold climates without heated buildings. KLG: Ok...thank you! Chance: Yeah, can't blame ya! fireladie: I was wondering about the dangers of ratites "claw".... is this a real concern with human raised birds? fireladie: You know im scared of them LOL Chance: Hah, well in some cases, the fear is justified. Emus will kick when cornered and scared, or when fighting each other, but rarely out of aggression to people. Rheas will bite, but not kick. Ostriches and cassowaries are the ones you have to watch, as they both have some knarly foot-weapons and know how to use them. Both have killed people, but of course it's human error. Chance: If handling them, always stay behind the bird as they can't kick backward. Hooding them is helpful, as it disorients them and (sometimes) calms them. PHCoosmom: Chance, Several small goat keepers and sheep keepers in my area keep emus with their flocks. I am told it is for preditor control. Can you speak to that. Chance: Excellent point, thanks for bringing it up. I actually keep my emus with my rheas whenever possible just for that fact. Rheas are petrified of small animals like dogs, and will run themselves to death if being harassed. Emus, however, seem to enjoy the fight! PHCoosmom: Thank you. Chance: So I can see emus, that have been raised around the sheep, goats or other animals (key phrase there being "raised around") used for guard animals for them. They have superb eyesight. PHXue: okay, what if someone was interested? better to work with someone in the hobby first, right? sounds like a pretty expensive hobby and I know my little birds are a lot of work so you'd have to be pretty much independently wealthy, right? PHXue: and, does their poop make good fertilizer? :) Chance: Surprisingly, not at all. I'm far from wealthy (I'm a college student! soon to be a teacher! lol). If you can find an affordable feed source, and you have the land, you're all set. You just need the pens, and you need them to be escape proof. PHXue: Sorry, but I know chickens' do, so thought maybe theirs would too Chance: You had to be wealthy back when the birds were terribly (and rediculously) expensive, but not any longer. Now they're quite affordable. And yes, their poop makes excellent fertilizer! Rouen: Chance, is there any worry about imprinting on humans, do they see you as a possible challenge or mate? PHXue: YAY! thaks Chance: They certainly will imprint on you if you spend time with them immediately after hatching. They don't, however, develop territorial problems like you occasionally have with bottle raised male llamas or young parrots, etc. The only issue I've ever heard about were male emus that were more interested in spending time with people than other emus. KLG: Chance, you mentioned that males make better "pets" - are emus dimorphic? And is it wise or unwise to keep multiple males together? Chance: Emus are not outrightly dimorphic. Males and females look similar, but they make different sounds (females drum or boom, males grunt). Emu males are more likely to coincide peacefully than emu females. PHXue: LOL, males grunt! PHXue: typical Chance: Just like a pig! heh PHCoosmom: Voyager, your question please Voyager21st_nr: Chance, could you describe the behavioral differences between rheas and emus regarding mating, and if you will include this in the answer, does the mating season ever overlap? Also, does the personality of either gender change during the breeding season? Chance: Well, as I've said emu and rhea seasons are opposite each other for the most part, emus mating in fall and winter and rheas in spring and summer. This is this way no matter when you are on the planet. Rheas and emus are also opposite in than rheas are male-dominant while in emus it's a rarer case of female-dominance. Chance: In answering Kara's question, I alluded to females being more difficult to keep together than males, and that's because females do the competing with each other for the male. Whereas in rheas, a male just gathers about him a harem of females and they coexist peacefully. Chance: As far as personality changes, not so much in emus, but male rheas will undergo drastic changes between down time and mating season. In season, they can be amazingly territorial, whereas in down time they may be quite placid. PHCoosmom: Chance, can you give me an idea of the space requirements to keep ratites and the fencing requirements. Chance: Fencing and pen requirements are going to vary a bit depending on species. Rheas, emus, and cassowaries need about the same space for a single or pair of birds (min 50x100'), whereas ostriches may need more space because they're much larger. Emus, cassowaries, and ostriches need taller fences than rheas, preferably 6'+, while rheas can be contained in as little as 4'. Chance: Lastly, fencing materials vary among species. For ostriches and cassowaries, you want STRONG fencing, whereas emus and rheas can be contained in welded wire or field fence. PHXue: Do you know of any breeders in nc that you'd recommend? PHXue: And, aren't they from the same part of the country? the rheas and emus? wonder why the difference in seasons? Chance: Unfortunately not right off hand, though you can get in touch with the American Emu Association or the American Ostrich Association and probably be pointed in the right direction. I do know some in TN though. Chance: Rheas are from South America and emus are from Australia. They've just evolved their mating seasons most likely because of predation threats in their home ranges. KLG: Chance, what has been the "most surprising moment" you've encountered while working with these birds? Any interesting anecdotes to share? Chance: Hmm, well the most surprising moment would probably have to be when I stepped out my back door to go feed and saw Lily, a yearling emu, standing in the back yard on the outside of her fence, gazing lazily at me. That was shocking, and I then got to test my emu whisperer abilities in approaching her calmly and grabbing her before she bolted. It worked! As for anecdotes.... Chance: I not long ago had a woman drive up from TX (Dallas area) to pick up a pair of adult emus. While loading the male, he kicked his way out of the back of her makeshift cage-thing on her truck and took off across the highway. Thank goodness he was tame, because upon approaching him, he came to me and paused long enough that I could grab him. Chance: Fortunately, I've yet to have a surprise like that with the cassowary!! *knocks on wood* KLG: LOL...knocking on wood for you! fireladie: has there ever been any reported hybrid ratites? just courious! Chance: None that I've heard of. The most likely candidates would be emus and cassowaries because of their size and phylogenetic relationship (it's close). However, they have opposite mating season. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a shot! :) Rouen: not a ratite q', but Have you considered getting into any other wild/feral canids, such as dixie dogs, pariahs, ect.? PHXue: noooooooooooooooo chance! PHXue: no hybrids, please! Chance: lol Xue, don't worry, it wouldnt work anyway most likely :) KLG: heh Chance...woma x ball PHXue: whew, I'd hate to have to go over there and smack some sense into you fireladie: servalXdomestic :) Chance: Rou, that actually does relate to ratites in a way. The ratites are why I had to rehome my New Guinea Singing Dogs. They were just too much of a threat to my birds. Because of that, I probably won't risk more than my mini schnauzers around them any more. Chance: lol Kara, that was a crazy looking snake by the picture I saw PHCoosmom: Chance, do you have concerns about such diseases as New Castles or west nile like Parrot owners? Chance: My main concern in regards to disease are the more common ones like EEE, which can easily be carried by wild birds and deposited, via droppings, in my birds' pens. Ratites have been proven to catch EEE. As for the others, I've not heard any evidence on how susceptible they are to them, though I do worry about them spreading to here. PHCoosmom: Thankyou. Basically, the concern is the governments reaction to the disease. Does that threaten owners of ratites? Where the government goes around and destroys all birds that are pets. Chance: Yes, a mandatory euthanization would be devastating Chance: I imagine it would threaten owners of any avians in a particular area. PHCoosmom: Thank you. fireladie: I was thinking about adding a wallaby to my menegerie.. and who knows... go completely australian.. would a wallaby and say an emu cohabitate well together? Chance: Heh, going Australian is something our property has been looking more and more like these days. The possibility of cohabitation would only exist if both animals were raised together, especially on the part of the emu. Otherwise, the emu may just see the wallaby as another little furry target to nail. Chance: Those feet can destroy small animals. KLG: Any fun new color mutations you're working with at this time? Chance: As a matter of fact, my first eggs from the blond emu I bought in TX a couple years ago as a chick are now hatching. Two have hatched so far as have been normals, but I have lots more to go. One's due tomorrow even. Each of them have a 50/50 shot at being blond, so keep your fingers crossed for me! Chance: After I hatch a few blonds to raise, I'll work on producing white emus. PHCoosmom: Sounds exciting Chance. KLG: OK! But it will make me type like af kasdoia ved adk KLG: so fingers crossed in sentiment! ;) fireladie: lol Chance: haha, whatever works! KLG: Can't WAIT to see them!!! fireladie: ? Chance: It's very exciting Coos, like playing the lottery every time I hear a new chick banging around in the hatcher. PHXue: Do you ship/sell fertile eggs? if so, how is the hatch rate? And I WANT ONE OF YOUR BLONDS! PHXue: heh, they bang around? Chance: I don't currently sell any eggs because I have such an enormous demand for chicks. It just isn't economical for me to sell the eggs. The hatch rate on shipped eggs though is kind of unknown to me, as I've only sold and shipped a few in the not-so-recent past. Probably around 50% because of the shaking. Chance: And yeah, little emus are quite vigorous. PHXue: So you do sell the chicks then? Chance: and Xue, I want more of those blonds too!!! dangit! lol Chance: yes PHXue: well, ME! I WANT ONE! fireladie: Arent there lavander emu's somewhere? Chance: Supposedly there are lavender rheas, though I've not seen them. The woman who breeds most of the blond and white emus produced a "new color" she's calling golden or something like that, but it's a variation on the blond. Chance: So far no albino ratites have been produced, unfortunately. KLG: I just wanted to mention that I had the pleasure of dealing with Chance a couple of years ago, and the care & thought that he puts into his animals is quite evident. This chat is a real treat! :) PHXue: ok, it's 10 pm and the scheduled chat is over PHCoosmom: That is good to know Kara. Appreciate it. Chance: Thank you Kara, I would say likewise but, well....that's obvious anytime anyone sees the animals over at NERD. Now get those kooks breeding! PHXue: But, if you'd like to stay, please do, so Chance if you have any closing statements....... fireladie: Chance, great chat! KLG: Chance you're a rock star! :) Chance: I appreciate everyone coming and keeping the questions flowing. Of course I could continue talking about these birds forever. And as a little plug, be on the lookout in the next couple of years for a book titled something along the likes of "Ratites as Pets!" or maybe "Ratites as Pets?!" |
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