The Emu is native to Australia and is the second largest bird in the world after the ostrich which is native to Africa.  During your guided tour of Safari Ostrich Farm you will see the Emus in a camp next to our ostriches; we imported the Emus to show our clients the vast difference in size between the biggest bird in the world the Ostrich and the 2nd largest the Emu.

Differences between the Emu and the Ostrich:

1. Emus will be sexually matured between 3 and 4 year of age. Ostriches will be sexually matured between 2 and 3 years of age.
2. A fully grown Emu is about 1,6 meters tall – Ostriches can be as tall as 2,5 meters when fully grown.
3. Adult Emus weigh between 50 and 60kg on average – Ostriches will weigh anything between 120 and 160 kg
4. The incubation period for Emu chicks is 54 days and for Ostriches it is 42 days.
5. The average weight of an Emu egg is about 550 grams whereas Ostrich eggs weigh about 1,2 kg
6. Emus generally lay between 20 and 30 eggs per breeding season in nature whereas the Ostrich will lay between 10 and 16 eggs. Both ostriches and Emus will lay their eggs during the winter months.
7. The female Emu lays the eggs but it’s only the male that sits/incubates them. The female Ostrich will sit on the eggs during the day and the male at night time.
8. One Emu egg is equivalent to 10 chicken eggs (on average) whereas one Ostrich Egg is equivalent to 24 chicken eggs.
9. The Emu egg is naturally a stunning avocado green colour whereas the Ostrich egg is  a light beige colour.
10. Ostriches are slightly faster than the Emus – Ostriches can run at speeds of up to 70km/h and Emus 60km/h.
11. An Ostrich’s powerful, long legs can cover 3 to 5 meters in a single stride.  The Emu can cover between 1,5 and 2,5 meters with a single stride.
12. Emus require lots of water often consuming as much as 10 litres daily – Ostriches can stay without water for many days (as long as 2 weeks) and actually get most of their water from the plants they eat.

Visit us for a fun and informative guided tour about ostrich farming, breeding and also see the Emu’s whilst on tour.