The birds are sold in pairs – male and female and currently cost around $3,000 to $4,000 each, for a three-month-old chick. Older chicks are costlier and sell at about $9,000 for a 12-15-month-old chick. 

The market demand for the birds has however fallen in recent years and prices have since reduced. In the past, the birds typically sold for around $ 40,000 per pair, at their peak, and now sell for much lesser.

The average per day feed for a bird costs around 30 cents, roughly adding up to around $10 per month. The birds need a large amount of land to breed and need to be sheltered. Sheltering costs vary depending on the farm. Most farms also have a bird hatching machine to hatch emu eggs, as this is more profitable than natural hatching. Each machine costs around $1,500.

Why is there a demand for emu birds?

Almost all parts of an emu bird are valuable and have some end use:

Emu meat is lower in fat and has more protein content than most poultry. The meat is sold for around $25 per pound. A fully grown emu can yield around 125 – 140 pounds of meat. An emu starts laying eggs at the age of 24 months and can lay eggs for the next 30 years. The average life span of a bird is around 30-35 years. Initially, an emu starts by laying around 12-14 eggs per season (December to March), and its capacity increases by 5-10 eggs, every year.  

Fully grown adults can lay around 50 – 60 eggs per year. An emu egg is about 10-12 times the size of a chicken egg and sells at about $30 – $50, per egg.

The skin of the bird is used in the leather industry for making handbags, slippers, and other accessories. Oil derived from the fat of the emu bird is high in oleic acid and linoleic acid has anti-inflammatory properties and is said to provide relief from arthritis. It also finds use in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Each bird can yield about 6 liters of oil. The oil sells for around $40 per liter globally.  How Much Do Emu Birds Cost?In addition to the above, emu egg shells and feathers are also used in decorative items. The feathers are used as brushes for cleaning electronic goods.

What does the demand for emu products look like now?

Emu meat is lean and tough due to its low-fat content. The taste of the meat requires some getting used to and has taken time to gain consumers. Though the meat was extensively marketed as a better alternative to chicken or beef due to its high protein content, the demand for emu meat took a long time to pick up. How Much Do Emu Birds Cost?

Commercially, the birds require a larger land area for cultivation. Poultry is more profitable when compared to the number of birds that can be cultivated in an sq. meter of land. Emu meat is presently sold at around $25 per pound when compared to beef which sells at $9 per pound. The higher price also acts as a dampener for the demand for emu meat. Emu farmers now predominantly focus on selling the eggs and exporting oil from the fat to reap profits. 

Emu farming once started as a profitable business with the birds sold at high prices. The demand for emu meat was initially overestimated based on speculation when the business first grew in the 1980s. However, the market subsequently crashed in 1995 as the demand did not grow as expected. 

Farmers, therefore, shifted focus to the production and export of oil globally. The current global demand for emu oil is around 1.5 lakh liters per month and continues to be a lucrative business.  The past five years or so, have however again, seen a sudden increase in demand for emu meat for consumption purposes. Some workers quote that sales have increased by 150% from 2019 to 2020 alone. The emu meat market has seen some ups and downs in the past two decades. Nevertheless, the 95% fat-free red meat, continues to be one of the healthiest meats available for consumption.

Where can I get emu meat in the US?

Emus are cultivated on commercial farms in the states of Colorado, Texas, Montana, Tennessee, and New Jersey. The meat and eggs can be purchased from partner outlets or directly from farms.

What are the health benefits of emu meat?

Emu meat has higher vitamin C, iron, and protein content than most red and white meats. It is also lower in sodium, potassium, and fat. 43% of this fat is monounsaturated, which helps lower bad cholesterol.