Friday 21 March 2014

If It Looks Like Poultry And Walks Like Poultry, Then It's Probably Poultry.....NOT

Click to see Emu Feather detail


Emus have feathers like poultry however with specialized characteristics. They range from 1 inch to 1.5 feet long and two feathers come out of the same quill. Their barbless quality (unlike ducks) makes the feathers smooth like fur and easier to puff up for cooling in the summer or creating an insulating air space in winter. Not to diminish the fact that puffing is very effective when impressing your mate or intimidating the competition.


Emu Feathers on a windy day






Most birds have a keel shaped breast bone that enables the wing muscles to attach to the body. Emus are flightless birds and like other ratites and penguins have a flat breast bone (see previous post for skeleton diagram).






And most importantly from a meat production prospective emu is a wise alternative for farmers. Their meat is lean and the pH of their flesh is similar to beef. Therefore, emu is classified as red meat for cooking purposes and heart healthy as studies have shown.


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