FAQ's

Below is a number of questions we find ourselves frequently being asked... the answers are based on our own experience and knowledge of keeping these birds over the years...

What is the difference in a fertile egg and an infertile egg?

The main difference is the rooster's part in the process. If a hen mates with a rooster, then the eggs the hen lays will be fertilized. If not, the hen will lay unfertilized eggs. Regardless of the rooster, the hen will still lay eggs. Any fertilized eggs will then require proper incubation in order to become chicks. 

They both taste the same and have the same nutritional value, in fact if you didn't know what to look for, you wouldn't notice anything, If you want to spot the difference, you need to look at the white spot called a germinal disc in the middle of the yolk, An infertile egg will look like a solid white spot, in a fertile egg the white spot will look slightly larger and look more like a bullseye.

What is the difference in an emu and a rhea?

We find everyone knows what an emu is, although not a lot of people know what a rhea is. Although they are from the same family of ratites, and similar in ways, we find they have more differences than you would expect. 

Emus are very playful and take part in a lot of jumping and craziness particularly when young, Rheas although also clearly lacking in wisdom, are a bit more restrained but enjoy running. Emus have stumps for wings with no feathers and love water. Rheas have large plumes for wings and hate water. Emus also like to play with dogs and other animals while rheas are naturally scared of dogs and most animals. Emus breeding season is during the winter while rheas are during the summer. Rheas lay bright yellow eggs and emus lay dark grey eggs. Rheas can be white or grey, Emus are brown.  

What is the best breed to start with?

The main question you will want to ask yourself is.. What do you want them for? There can be many reasons...For production of eggs? To earn some pocket money? To get the kids out of the house? To eat slugs and other pests in the garden? Or for simply a hobby or perhaps to start a business. The answers to these questions will determine the breed or type of bird which will be most suitable for your needs. If you haven't already looked at the breeds section on the website, it will give you a little information on each breed we keep and if you need further assistant we would be happy to help.