LPM 222: Diversified poultry production and current concepts in poultry management and marketing [Livestock Production Management (Regional Interest)] (1+1)

EMU MATING SYSTEMS

Breeding pen formation

• There are two general ways in which emus are housed for mating during the breeding season.

1. Group mating

• A large number of birds are housed in one camp. The birds are left to pair off by themselves. They remain housed in these mixed camps, and lay their eggs where they wish. The nests are often used communally. These pairs often withdraw from the main group and find a quiet place for mating. The sex ratio may be kept at 1:1 to 1:3.
• Most of the hens pair for lifetime; some have been known to pair off with one male, and lay a clutch of eggs for him. After taking a break, she will then often pair off with another male, and lay a second clutch. Most females take a break from laying for a week or two in the middle of the season. If the pair performs well, they can be left as a pair or, they can be put into the large group pen after the breeding season has finished.
• If a female tried to woo a male that already had a partner, the incumbent female will try and repel the competitor by walking towards her challenger and staring in a stern way. If the male showed interest in the second female by erecting his feathers and swaying from side to side, the incumbent female will attack the new female. Some female-female competitions can last up to five hours, especially when the target male is single and neither female has the advantage of incumbency. In these cases, the animals typically intensify their mating calls and displays, which increase in extravagance. This is often accompanied by chasing and kicking by the competing females.
• The advantages of group mating are, a) it is much more economical to have one camp per age group, especially if there are large number of birds and making individual pens is more costly, b) it is much less work intensive to feed and water the emus as a group and c) less number of males required. The main disadvantage with this method is however, keeping record of parentage is not possible; therefore selection for egg production is not possible.

Fig.9.20. Group mating

2. Pen mating

• In this method of housing, the emus are paired off into smaller camps, with a male and one or two females per camp. This is more time consuming, and also needs more space and infrastructure to be set up. This method is most suitable for breeding stock to be selected for egg production. Emus can either be paired off by the farmer, looking for characteristics that are desired, or they can be allowed to pair off naturally in a larger group camp, and moved to separate pens once a pair has been spotted. This will be easy to spot, as the pair will start walking and feeding together. Once paired, they will remain happy to breed together for life. Once a pair is formed they will mate together for the breeding season once in every 1 to 2 days.
• It is always better to allow the emus to choose their own mates. Because they bond with their mates, usually for life, they are often very picky in choosing. The birds are less stressed in natural bonding and this is better for their productivity. Incompatible pairing when made arbitrarily by the farmer may result in fighting leads to injury. Otherwise the hen will just totally ignore the male’s overtures and keep to herself leading to loss of productivity or the production of infertile eggs. She could also try to escape from the pen to get to the male of her choice, injuring herself in the process.
• If the camps are paired off with 1 male to 2 females (trios), the male will choose a dominant female and begin breeding with only the one. After some time, however, he will begin breeding with the second female. Usually he will begin breeding with the second female 2 to 4 weeks after the first female. If there are too few mature males available, this is a good option, but no more than two females to a male. Of course the second hen will be less productive, as she loses out on 2 to 4 weeks of laying capability. The quality of the eggs and the fertilization can be affected by there being too many females for the male to service.
• The breeding pair established if productive and has good quality chicks, this pair can be kept together for life, with good results. If however one mate dies or it becomes unproductive, they will be made to bond with a new mate.

Fig.9.21. Pen mating