Meet the Critters! Birds of a Feather...

Here are just some of the feathery friends you'll find at Vanderlaand Barnyard Zoo. Come see them from 11-5 on Sundays. Just $5 per person.

One of the bird pens - perfect for watching mamas and chicks!

Emu - Emus are native to Australia where there are about 700,000 of them. They are probably most famous for the fact that they do not fly, and that the male is the one who sits on the nest. Female emus generally lay between 5 and 24 eggs which will hatch after 48 to 56 days of incubation by the male. Female emus may make more than one nest depending on how many eggs they lay. Each nest will hold the eggs of several females and be incubated by a different male.

Emus grow to an average of 145 cm and weigh between 36 and 40 kgs. Emus' muscled calves make them ideally suited to sprinting and long distance running. They can sustain speeds up to 13.4 m/s and can cover an average of 3 meters per stride. They also have extremely powerful kicks capable of breaking through fences or maiming predators. (University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Dromaius_novaehollandiae/)

Frizzle Roosters - Frizzle roosters got their name from their feathers which grow and curve outward instead of inward, or along the bird's body. It is actually considered a mutation. (Feathersite.com)

Buff Polish Rooster - What a brilliant photo! These birds have been around since the sixteenth century and, while it is a very popular breed in England, no one really knows where they came from. The cocks weigh about 6 pounds while the hens are only 4.5 pounds. (Feathersite.com)

Swans - Obviously. The ones pictured below are actually mute swans. The male is called a "cob", the female a "pen", and the chicks "cygnets". Swans typically mate for life and stay with each other throughout the year, but "divorces" have been known to happen usually after a nesting failure. The mute swan is one of the larger swan species and can reach a length of over 1.5 m, weigh over 15 kg, and have a wing span of almost 3 m. (Avianweb.com).

Turken - Also known as Transylvania naked neck chickens. A genetic mutation is the cause of their naked necks. The birds are native to Romania. Bare-necked birds "are more resistant to heat and thus produce better meat and eggs...." (National Geographic - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110315-transylvanian-naked-neck-chicken-churkeys-turkens-science/).

Turkeys - Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys are originally a cross between the domestic turkeys European colonists brought over and the eastern wild turkeys that were already in North America. The breed came to Canada and northwestern U.S. in the early 1900s where they were crossed with larger U.S. turkeys. Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys are the commercial variety of choice until the 1960s. (American Livestock Breeds Conservation - http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/bronze.html)

Toms (male turkeys) weigh about 25 pounds and young hens 16 pounds.