The Rural Voice, 1997-07, Page 39Cemu has developed a wide range of
emu products for home and
restaurant.
at, he says. Growers with better
starter facilities may be able to take
day-old chicks, just like the poultry
industry, but most chicks are still
getting a good start by the breeder.
"There is no book on how you
raise emus," he says. "There are
papers out now saying how we think
we raise emus.
"It's kind of nice that we've got
all these things to figure out and it
can onlyincrease our bottom line,"
he says.
The industry is becoming
important enough that some
feed companies are sitting up
and taking notice, he says. "They're
now convinced we're going to be
around." The attitude when growers
first went to get feed for their birds
was that "they're just a big chicken"
and so feed was based on a chicken
ration with some changes to meet the
special needs of the bigger birds.
"Now we're seeing some research to
get a better handle (on the birds'
needs). For instance, emus are very
poor fibre digesters. They don't have
the organs for digesting fibre (unlike
ostriches)."
Emu production has attracted a
special kind of farmer, the kind who
likes to go along the less -travelled
road. Emu producers also tend to
work closely together to share
information. Perth County's 40
producers have their own association
and meet monthly to share
information.
Most of those farmers are staying
in the business despite the end of
quick profits, he says. With
speculators cashing in, "now I see the
actual farmer getting involved."0
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July 1997 35