Cute chicks: Emus eggs-ite 'n' delight
Four baby Emus were born this week at Stonehall Visitor Farm in Curraghchase. Picture: Emma Jervis/Press 22
EASTER is still weeks away but eggs of a very different variety caused a stir of excitement on a Limerick farm this week when four fluffy emus hatched out.
The little birds -- who will grow up to be two metres tall and weigh 36kg -- had been incubated by their dad Edward since they were laid on January 15 at the Stonehall Visitor Farm in Curraghchase, Co Limerick.
Three of the chicks hatched out on Tuesday, with the fourth following on St Patrick's day.
Sinead Shanahan explained that the mother has very little to do with hatching the eggs, leaving the father to take care of them during the two-month incubation period. "He would be very protective of the eggs and didn't get off them since January. With the winter we had, we are delighted they hatched and escaped the frost, especially in January," she said.
The emus were quickly enticed into a shed to keep them safe from foxes. "They will all be kept inside. They are on a bed of straw. They should all be wandering around in a few weeks," Sinead said.
- Barry Duggan
Irish Independent
