Edward the Emu

I met Edward the Emu this year at Winter Street Farm. I'm a member of their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, so I visit the farm at least once a week to pick up my share of veggies and flowers.

Edward is new to the farm this year and his role is to guard the large chicken flock. He's a fascinating bird, mostly because of his looong neck, his curiosity, and the way he darts about the chicken yard defending his territory.

Emus are known for warding off unwanted predators. In fact, there have been cases of emus stomping bobcats, opossums, snakes, and neighborhood cats to the ground. They are used to guard livestock from coyotes as well.

Emus naturally live in Australia where they are the largest native bird. An emu's egg is equivalent to 8-12 chicken eggs! They can live up to 35 years in captivity, which is about 4-5 times the lifespan of an egg laying chicken.