Relaxed at home
Relaxed at home
Relaxed at home
Relaxed at home
Relaxed at home
Relaxed at home

The Relaxed Rheas
We were original attracted to rhea because of their behaviour and looks: they are extraordinary to look at, elegant and proud and seeing them run around a field is magical as they twist and turn (the classic predator run) and use their wings like sails. They also eat weeds (docks, young nettles, buttercups etc) and do a small but significant job of clearing the land after the sheep/ goats. They are also super inquisitive so you can get up close and personal with them, they will feed from a jug and take greens (lettuce or spinach) from your hands,
It is the male rhea that builds the nest and incubates the eggs and then teaches the chicks to forage. Watching the courtship is fascinating. They neck each other, fluff up wings, reveal bottoms (!!), dip up and down and generally Flirt with a capital F.
They live out pretty much 24/7, 365 days of the year and are fox proof from 8/9 months (ish). Ours live in our fields with regular stock fencing and 2 wires and we have never had a problem with them escaping.. They do need space, they love to run - we have our eight (six greys (2M/4F) and two whites (1M/1F) in either a three or two acre field.
Handling them is pretty impossible as adults as they are just so strong, thankfully our adults have never been ill but the tamer you can get them the better in case you do need to give them some tlc. They can be bucket (or lettuce) trained and when herding them to a new place, slow and gentle is the key.
We love them and spend hours watching them.
Relaxed at Home
Relaxed at Home
Relaxed at Home
Relaxed at Home
Relaxed at Home
Relaxed at Home
Relaxed at Home
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