The Salem Herbfarm Animals
Emus
We have two emus here at the farm. Emus are flightless birds native to Australia. The ostrich is the only bird larger than the emu. Emus can run up to 30 miles per hour, and believe it or not they like to swim! If you've seen the movie Jurassic Park, one of the first things you'll notice about the emus is that they move like dinosaurs. Many scientists say that the emu is the closest living animal to its prehistoric ancestors. Our emu Alice has been laying eggs, and we collected quite a few this past winter. Being from the southern hemisphere, emus lay eggs during our winter. Each one is dark green and about four inches long with a very thick shell. Alice will lay eggs from October all the way through March. The eggs are good to eat, and one emu egg is equal to about six chicken eggs. Alice's eggs will be on display in the Gallup Gift Barn.
Llamas
We also have two llamas. Llamas originally hail from South America and they are still widely used as a pack animal today both there and in parts of Central America. When used as a pack animal llamas can carry 25% of their body weight for several miles. They are also a source of fiber. The fiber produced by a llama is very soft and is naturally lanolin free. Very social animals as well as intelligent, llamas learn simple tasks after a few repetitions.
Goats
We now have two goats, Eric and Alex, new to the farm this year. They are sharing space with the llamas and the emus and all are getting along well so far. Stop by and see them.
Chickens, Geese, Doves and Homer
About twenty chickens of various breeds occupy the farm. We usually have a small supply of farm-fresh eggs for sale. We also have several geese. They make quite a racket. We also keep some doves.
