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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-03-22, Page 24in CENTRAL RENTAL & SUPPLY LTD. Bill- Crawford - Manager Industrial & Farm Supplies Horse Tack & Supplies Small Equipment & Tool Rental Honda Engines • Two Way Radios • Cellular Phones • Paging 26 Isaac St. Phone/Fax: CLINTON, ON. 482-7930 .NV Two self propelled wheel trucks you can depend on MID-WESTERN MANURIGATING RR #5, Goderich FAST — EFFICIENT — AFFORDABLE 35,000 Gals. per hour 10 yrs. experience Self Propelled Boom Agitator and two Prop. Agitators Available Tom Franken (519) 524-1056 Don't hosttate to cal) Neil Hanna Extra Value That Really Measures Up REF (RED/VALUE5:19A51 sAec tsw. • MCMCAM91,104ffel.,61119, SAJPOR These are just a few of the many quality products available from your Petro-Canada fuel and lubes associate. He understands farming and knows how much you depend on your equipment. For reliable service and quality products, look to Petro-Canada. including Super Plus 15W40 Motor Oil, Duratran Transmission-Hydraulic Fluid. Gearlube TOS. Automatic Transmission Fluid. Harmony HVI36 and Contact your associate now for special prices on all your lubricant needs. PETROCANADA !kV I* Lubricants isomm lbwe de carnmedm co ..eyo-Canacia ,.adman Precision EP2 Grease. BOB FOXTON FUELS LIMITED Wholesale Marketer 50 North Street West, Wingham, Ontario NOG 2W0 Tel: Wingham 519-357-2664 Tel: Walkerton 519-881-1481 Toll Free: 1-800-265-3069 1111111MMIS. *ORDER 16010 ( LUBE OIL BEFORE MAY 1ST AND GET THIS 7.50/25' ARROW HEAVY DUTY RULE 11111£9.1.11151ASt PAGE A4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1995. + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + AGRICULTURE '95 This bird in the hand has good market value Feathered friend The gentle emu is an ideal alternative to more traditional methods of livestock farming. Larry Badley of Morris began raising emus three years ago as a sideline to his pork farm. By Bonnie Gropp They sound like the answer to any farmer's prayer — a gentle ani- mal that eats little, is hardy and easy to care for, is virtually untouched by bureaucracy and even makes a bit of money. Over the past three years, interest in the breeding and raising of emus has picked up, with many livestock producers finding them a profitable addition to their farming opera- tions. It was after reading a story in May 1992's issue of The Rural Voice, that Morris Twp. pork pro- ducer Larry Badley became inter- ested in these exotic birds, which are native to Australia. The following month, after see- ing an ad in The Ostrich News, a publication out of Texas, he had made a decision, travelling to Penn- sylvania where he purchased three pairs of chicks. The cost was $1,500 each. Another three pairs were pur- chased from a Zurich farmer, Jerry Wilder, after he returned home. Mr. Badley says he chose emus over ostriches or rheas, which are all flightless birds, because they are known to be gentle. "Ostriches are very protective and can be high- strung. Emus won't attack people and are more like pets," he said. While some may gasp at the price it all seems to balance. Emus are inexpensive to keep, feeding on which arc set at the same tempera- ture but with different humidity to control weight loss and gain. Linda says the eggs are weighed every five days. "You are looking for a 15 per cent weight loss. If the eggs are losing too much they should be moved to an incubator with higher humidity. Consequently, not enough weight loss means less humidity." Though there is no way to tell early if the emu eggs are fertilized, Linda says this can be determined at about one month. "I put them on the counter and whistle. If they have been fertilized they will start rocking," she says. Ostrich and rhea eggs are white so they can be candled to check for weight or fertility after 10 days, she adds. After 48 days the emu eggs are moved to a hatcher. "If there is a problem and they are peeping too long without breaking through, then we go into the egg," says Linda. After the chicks hatch, Linda applies iodine to the "belly button" and hobbles the legs with masking tape. "We leave enough room so they can walk and sit. It's just to make sure they don't splay." The newborn chick doesn't need to eat for three to four days because during that time they feed off the yolk sac which goes inside them during hatching. "It's best to let them use it before you feed them," Linda says adding that once they start eating they are "up and run- ning". Once the chicks are ready, the breeders are notified and they return to Blue Rose to pick them up. Any infertile eggs arc returned to the owners as well so they can be verified. The owner is also given all records pertaining to the chick. As it is with most-breeding stock, the cost of an emu changes, with such considerations as parentage and productivity. Though last year prices for these exotic birds sky- rocketted to over $4,000 each, Linda says that in talking to others the going rate for a three month old chick has come down to between $1,000 and $1,500. Though the market has been to other breeders, Linda said the for- mation of a co-op is beginning, the idea of which would be to set up abattoirs in strategic locations for breeders to bring their birds to. "They arc looking at paying S5 a pound liveweight," Linda says. Aside from the meat, which is high in iron, low cholesterol red meat, the feathers and leather, the oil from the emus is in high demand. A high penetration oil that takes into the skin whatever is mixed in it, it has proven beneficial for therapeutic purposes. With little government intcrven- Continued on AS a special pellet purchased from feed mills and eating up to five pounds a day per pair. Also, they are not as prone to illness. The Badley emus are kept in two vans which are at a controlled tem- perature of above 50°F. Aside from seeing that they are fed and watered, the only real requirement of the job is periodic cleaning of the pens. To make sure the pairs are pro- ductive, Mr. Badley suggests that anyone starting buy an extra male. "The females are selective regard- ing mating. They have to bond with the male." Once the dating game is over, the female will begin laying the large, deep aqua eggs, which Mr. Badley gathers for incubation. The laying season can start anytime between December and October and ends near the first of May. Productive hens usually average one every three days. The eggs, which average a weight of 600 gms., take 50 to 52 days to hatch. After they are col- lected, they can be kept for a week in a cool environment. The technicalities of incubation were something that Mr. Badley didn't want to become involved with. Instead he takes his eggs up to Blue Rose Emu Ranch near Cargill, which is owned by Murray and Linda Kennedy, for incubation. Blue Rose has four incubators.