Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 24, 1994 TAG: 9412270085
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: EDINBURG LENGTH: Medium
The Balls - breeders of flightless, ostrich-like Australian birds known as emus - planned to drape their birds' delicate feathers over their tree.
``The white ones look like icicles,'' Carol Ball said, holding a feather up to show how it would look on the tree.
The Balls are raising four young birds at their house and are boarding about six others at farms in Culpeper and Austin, Texas. Emus are gaining popularity because they produce low-cholesterol, low-fat, red meat; a beautiful leather; and an oil used in cosmetics, Carol Ball said.
Also, the feathers, eggs and toenails are used in jewelry, a promotional brochure from the American Emu Association says.
``They are good for the environment, good for your heart and good for your soul,'' Carol Ball said. ``You can't be depressed around these birds.''
The birds put on quite a show.
They don't fly, but they can run up to 30 mph and ``jump up and down and drop down and roll over,'' Arthur Ball said. ``They are a lot of fun to be out there with.''
The Balls researched emus for three years before buying their first pair last spring. The birds cost between $3,000 and $6,000 as chicks, Carol Ball said. The older breeders, which produce an average of 20 eggs a year, can be sold for up to $20,000 a pair, she said.
The birds, which weigh up to 150 pounds full grown, eat catfish pellets that cost about 50 cents per bird per day, Arthur Ball said. The birds also are given a vitamin supplement.
by CNB