Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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My Avian Roommate. Well, I have raised several emu On my little farm over the decades. On schedule, our male did not come to feed. By that, we knew he was on eggs. Sometimes three would hatch; Sometimes only one would emerge from its shell. The male incubates the deep green eggs, About the size of large avocados. This year (April 2026), one little one hatched. I took over the care of this tiny one. Getting a chick to eat properly is a task. Young ones must learn to eat by imitation. With the parents, the young ones learn, Slowly picking up this ability to copy. Ok, but I removed the chick from its father, Because it could be attacked by a predator. So now I must teach it to eat. This is done by using my hand to imitate an emu's head, 'Pecking' over and over at the food-pellets. After two days the chick catches on Beginning to peck and eat by itself! What a joy, when the teaching pays off. It is then just a matter of continuous eating and growing. Emu are generally gentle and move near a viewer. They are a very nice untameable companion. I enjoy sharing time with these Australian transplants So now at night, I share my bedroom near my heater, With my new, sleeping avian roommate. Frank Maurer 16 April 2026 2305 Hours.