Back to Nature Acres

Back to Nature Acres Our 21 acre farm features a 5 acre blueberry U-pick, fresh produce, citrus, we also breed poultry, pigs, goats & other livestock.
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We practice very strict biosecurity & do not allow access to livestock to ensure our animals stay healthy & free of disease.

06/14/2026

Cuatro is officially one week old! I can't believe I'm saying that!! Doesn't seem like much but it is absolutely amazing that this little emu is still here!
This 4 legged emu chick has come so far since I found him laying in our incubator!
When I realized he had extra legs, I had immediately felt a sinking feeling and thought that we would have to put this emu down as I thought there was no way it would be able to thrive or have quality of life.
I barely slept that night. I had so many questions.

I went downstairs the next morning and this emu was sitting up, scuffling around, chirping, wanting pets, and very much happy to be here and alive.
Let's give it a chance.
I sent out messages to anyone I knew that could have possibly seen this or know what to do. I wasn't able to find any similar cases, but those that I did have advice all told me to give this emu a chance and keep trying.
And I did.

There were so many questions if this emu would be able to walk, run, clear bowels, even eating and drinking or being moved into the brooder was a complete unknown.
But most of all, the question I had was, will this emu have quality of life if it survives?

This emu has shocked so many people, I think the biggest reason isn't because he has 4 legs, it's because he has 4 legs and he is somehow thriving and happy even thoughout all of his challenges and differences. He has been such a great sport with all the bracing, taping, wiring, joint manipulations and everything else it took to get him to bend his feet properly, we are so proud of Cuatro!

This weeks milestones will be taking both foot braces fully off, and of course getting xrays, ultrasounds and examinations done with Ken Langelier at Vancouver Island Animal Hospital to see what should be done to give Cuatro the best chance of survival and quality of life.
It's been a wild watching this miracle unfold before my very eyes, it's absolutely breathtaking seeing this emu chick somehow thrive when the odds were so stacked against him.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for Cuatro!

06/13/2026

Cuatro is obsessed with blueberries! He already knows the sound of a blueberry being picked and wakes up immediately to come and get a treat if he is napping. He has been great moral support while I pick up sticks and adjust irrigation lines!

There are a lot more ripe blueberries on our bushes today but we are still at least a couple weeks away from our blueberry U-pick opening, until then this is our own little oasis 🥰

Cuatro had a very eventful day following me around the farm, he even ate his very first blueberry from our field today, ...
06/13/2026

Cuatro had a very eventful day following me around the farm, he even ate his very first blueberry from our field today, which he was SO excited about!
Unfortunately it was the only ripe blueberry that I could find as it is still a little early in the season.
Maybe next time I will get a taste 😆

He is getting much more mobile but always stays close. His feet are much more flexible today, I'm hoping to have both braces off full time at some point this weekend once they are holding their shape a little better, another day of great progress!

Some of our landscaping crew, as you can see they have a lot of work to do 😆
06/12/2026

Some of our landscaping crew, as you can see they have a lot of work to do 😆

06/11/2026

Update! Our 4 legged emu chick is doing well with bracing on his feet and his right foot is completely flexible now instead of staying in a fist, I started working on bracing his left foot yesterday and I am already seeing a difference!

It took many hours of working with his feet to finally get them into the position they should be, good thing is he SUCH a great sport and is usually fully asleep by the time I'm done wrapping his feet which tells me that what I am doing is thankfully not painful for him.

We spoke to Ken Langelier at Vancouver Island Animal Hospital and he has generously offered to give him free xrays and ultrasounds next week to see what the best course of action is. He told us the chick needs to get a bit stronger before he goes in for examination as he is still just under 5 days old.

We are still looking for a sanctuary to take this emu chick along with his duckling buddies, ducklings need to go with him for company for him to have quality of life, other birds peck at his extra limbs and can potentially injure him.
We don't know the gender of this emu, but I am calling it "him" as if this emu has extra organs and is a female it could have two separate oviducts to lay eggs from which would make things very difficult once its time to lay eggs.
We are keeping our fingers crossed!

I have been hesitant about naming this emu as I don't want to get too attached before knowing he would have a chance of survival, but now that he is showing signs that he will be able to thrive and have quality of life, we have decided to name him "Cuatro" dubbed by the global news team.

Things are looking better everyday for this emu!

06/10/2026

One of the first things every vet has said to me when I ask them about our 4 legged emu is, "has it walked yet?"
Our little miracle emu surprises me every day with the progress that it makes!
This emu motors around and is doing well with the bracing so far. I have been taking it outside for sunshine time lots as a lack of vitamin D can be the cause of curled feet in emu chicks, this little one is absolutely loving running around in the field as well as being carried around the farm. The braced foot is already showing signs of improvement so I think I might be able to get both feet to stay where they should using bracing, wire, massaging, vitamins, sunlight, and patience.

I also found evidence of its very first p**p today, I don't think I have ever been so excited to see p**p before, and it gives me a little more hope that this emu will be able to survive despite the odds.
Things are looking up for our 4 legged emu chick!

06/09/2026

Our 4 legged emu chick has started walking and has been moved into a brooder which is truly a miracle. It is living with a couple ducklings as our other emu chicks kept pecking curiously at its extra limbs.
This emus feet require bracing, I was instructed to only brace one foot at a time so as the joint needs to be flexed over time before adding more support. It look some trial and error to get it right but luckily this emu has been such a great sport so far with the bracing and even fell asleep in my arms while I was wrapping the wire around its foot.
I loaded it up with vitamins, took it outside for sunshine and kept massaging its feet. It is still extremely active and is even jumping up when it wants to be picked up.
It is walking much better now but only time will tell if this emu will be able to walk properly, be able to clear its bowels, eat and drink which are all essential for this emu to survive.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for this little one and we are also tentatively looking for a reputable sanctuary or rescue that would be able to take this emu and give it the special care it needs to be able to thrive. Vet contacts for surgery and xrays can be passed on by request.

The first of the blueberries are starting to ripen! We are looking on track to be open for the first week of July! Stay ...
06/08/2026

The first of the blueberries are starting to ripen! We are looking on track to be open for the first week of July! Stay posted for updates throughout the month.

Our 4 legged emu chick is doing surprisingly well for having 4 legs, it is sitting up, wants to be held and gets excited...
06/08/2026

Our 4 legged emu chick is doing surprisingly well for having 4 legs, it is sitting up, wants to be held and gets excited when it hears me coming.
We should hear back from some vets by tomorrow, however, we need to wait a day or two for this chick to start walking and clearing its bowels to make sure its organs and body are functioning properly before we get our hopes up for this little one for future intervention. We will keep our fingers crossed for this little emu but we are also preparing ourselves to make the humane decision if this little one starts to suffer.
For now it is happily getting lots of snuggles, and has no clue that it is different in any way, this little one is just happy to be alive, even if it could be just for a short time 💙

This 4 legged emu chick hatched naturally last night, this is the first time we have ever seen or heard of a 4 legged em...
06/07/2026

This 4 legged emu chick hatched naturally last night, this is the first time we have ever seen or heard of a 4 legged emu chick hatching naturally.
I haven't been able to find anyone yet with this same anomaly or knows anyone that has seen this happen. This typically occurs as a form of partial twin formation (similar to conjoined twinning) where the body axis split slightly during early development, but only the limb buds fully duplicated. We aren't sure if this emu chick will be able to survive as 2 of its legs are not functional and hang at its side while the other 2 are fully functional, ampuation may be necessary but we will be seeing how this little one does in the next few days to see what the next steps are. It is currently sitting up and very aware, and doesn't seem to have any clue anything is wrong, but only time will tell us if he will be able to thrive.

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3105 Frost Road
Nanaimo, BC
V9X1S7

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