Summer Heat January 2026

Welcome to a New Year at Emu Logic!

January was a warm one with temperatures reaching up to 47C. 40+degrees is not uncommon for us here during summer but this year the temperatures did hit a bit higher and when it goes on for longer than a week it starts to be a bit exhausting. Just like the animals around us, both farmed and wild, we find that our working days are timed by the heat. What this means is we get up and try to get most jobs done before the heat sets in, before hiding out in the air conditioning until the weather cools down in the afternoon.

The emus generally cope well with the heat and have a few mechanisms to help reduce the impact of the heat on their bodies. These include having good insulating feathers and tough leg leather, cooling down in water and like us moving around early in the morning before finding a shady tree for the hot part of the day.

The emus feathers offer a good insulation layer protecting their body from the suns heat and the leg leather is so tough that it enables them to walk on the hot ground if they need to.  

We make sure their water troughs are clean by emptying them at least once a week this gives them fresh water to drink but if you ask them it means they have fresh bath water and muddy puddles to play in. Emus love having some water to play in, so frequently take turns to play in water troughs and when we bucket them out it creates nice big muddy puddles perfect for wallowing, they use the water but also mud to cool down and keep themselves lice free. The emus feathers are naturally water resistant so they do have to preen and shake to get the water down into their skin.

Summer work schedule is not just for us, the emus know the advantage of staying out of the direct heat, particularly between the hours of 12-3pm. The emus will get up with the sun to do their exercise and find their food and water so they can hang out under one of the shady trees in their yard when the temperature gets a bit to high. We are planting and trying to get more trees established right across the farm to ensure there is shade for all the animals to stay out the heat.

As we head into February the temperatures are expected to reduce slightly and while we know it wont be long and we will be talking about the cold it does feel a long way away.

So until the weather properly cools we can use some emu logic and stay out of the heat as much as possible and if the opportunity arises it never hurts to play in a muddy puddle.

Nicole