BRODHEAD - It all started with Fred and Wilma, Betty and Barney.
The 3-month-old emus in 1995 arrived on the farm tucked among the rolling hills south of Brodhead.
Joylene Reavis and her late husband, Michael, grew their hobby into Sugar Maple Emu Farm, at one time caring for more than 200 of the flightless birds. Now, 21 years later, visitors are taking their final tours of the farm as Joylene prepares to send her last 12 emus - including Fred - to new homes Tuesday.
It's her last call for tours, something she's done for countless families, school groups and civic organizations while she and her husband worked overtime off the farm.
"I don't know how we did it, but we did it," she said.
Tours for curious family and friends interested in "these strange animals" started within days of the Flintstones crew arriving.
"We've had a real good time," Joylene said.
Michael battled cancer for 27 months and passed away in May 2014. Joylene, 66, said 18 months running the farm alone has been enough. She plans to enjoy traveling, something impossible while caring for livestock.
She plans to keep her store featuring emu meat, oils, lotions and other products open by appointment. Her products also are sold at Basics Cooperative in Janesville and Pinnow Pharmacy in Brodhead.
HOW IT STARTED
The couple can blame The Janesville Gazette for the spark that led to the rows of pens lining a field just beyond the apple orchard behind the house. Michael saw an article about ostriches, telling his wife they ought to raise the exotic birds.
"I told him to take an aspirin, lay down and that will go away," she joked now.
They looked into raising the 300-pound birds that grow up to 8 feet tall but decided against it. A year later, they saw an article about nearby folks who got emus, and they went to check it out.
"We liked the birds, we liked what we heard about them," she said.
They especially liked that all parts of the bird are usable.
"Everything about them is very ecologically friendly. They're easy to work with, and all of their products are good for humanity," she said.
She and her husband came from farming backgrounds, so they got into the emu business. Their plan was to raise them, have a truck take them away and then get a check a few days later.
"To this day, that has not happened," she said with a laugh.
Michael was fantastic with the animals, doing much of the labor. She focused on sales and advertising.
The farm sends the birds for processing, and Joylene sells the meat out of the garage-turned-shop she runs. Products including emu oil and lotion are also sold at the store or online. She will continue sales for the next five years or so while a farm in Trempealeau County raises her chicks that hatched last year and this spring.
"Even now, I don't really want to," she admitted. But with health issues, "it's just a little too much for me."
Her two sons and Michael's three children helped on the farm.
"Without them, I could never have lasted this long," she said.
Sheep, chickens and two giant friendly dogs, Daisy and Nico, roam the farm.
FRIENDLY BIRDS
Joylene's longstanding tenure as president of the Wisconsin Emu Association and as board member of the American Emu Association has helped her keep her finger on the pulse of the industry. She rattled off facts and figures about their farm and the industry as she's done for thousands of tours before.
Michael would take vacation from work to manage the farm while Joylene attended association conventions around the country.
In Wisconsin, she figures about 300 people own emus, accounting for 1,000 birds. Only a dozen or fewer raise them commercially.
Emus hatch in spring, and because of Wisconsin's winters, the Reavises collected the eggs to incubate them. It takes 52 days for chicks to hatch. They weigh 1.5 to 2 pounds and have stripes like chipmunks. The birds can't fly, and they have the same structural frame as a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.
Joylene walked the aisle between the pens Wednesday cracking jokes about her remaining emus. There was 23-year-old Phyllis curled up against the fence with her head in the weeds while her mate, 14-year-old Phil, checked out the visitors.
"She goes for younger men," Joylene said. "Instead of an emu, maybe we outta call her a cougar."
Females are protective of their males, and a female will fight another if she looks at her mate wrong, Joylene said. Each pair has their own pen.
She said she'll miss Phil, who seems to love attention.
"He's the only bird here that I would put my hand up by his beak and know that he wouldn't pinch me," she said. "He's a sweetheart."
The 3-month-old emus in 1995 arrived on the farm tucked among the rolling hills south of Brodhead.
Joylene Reavis and her late husband, Michael, grew their hobby into Sugar Maple Emu Farm, at one time caring for more than 200 of the flightless birds. Now, 21 years later, visitors are taking their final tours of the farm as Joylene prepares to send her last 12 emus - including Fred - to new homes Tuesday.
It's her last call for tours, something she's done for countless families, school groups and civic organizations while she and her husband worked overtime off the farm.
"I don't know how we did it, but we did it," she said.
Tours for curious family and friends interested in "these strange animals" started within days of the Flintstones crew arriving.
"We've had a real good time," Joylene said.
Michael battled cancer for 27 months and passed away in May 2014. Joylene, 66, said 18 months running the farm alone has been enough. She plans to enjoy traveling, something impossible while caring for livestock.
She plans to keep her store featuring emu meat, oils, lotions and other products open by appointment. Her products also are sold at Basics Cooperative in Janesville and Pinnow Pharmacy in Brodhead.
HOW IT STARTED
The couple can blame The Janesville Gazette for the spark that led to the rows of pens lining a field just beyond the apple orchard behind the house. Michael saw an article about ostriches, telling his wife they ought to raise the exotic birds.
"I told him to take an aspirin, lay down and that will go away," she joked now.
They looked into raising the 300-pound birds that grow up to 8 feet tall but decided against it. A year later, they saw an article about nearby folks who got emus, and they went to check it out.
"We liked the birds, we liked what we heard about them," she said.
They especially liked that all parts of the bird are usable.
"Everything about them is very ecologically friendly. They're easy to work with, and all of their products are good for humanity," she said.
She and her husband came from farming backgrounds, so they got into the emu business. Their plan was to raise them, have a truck take them away and then get a check a few days later.
"To this day, that has not happened," she said with a laugh.
Michael was fantastic with the animals, doing much of the labor. She focused on sales and advertising.
The farm sends the birds for processing, and Joylene sells the meat out of the garage-turned-shop she runs. Products including emu oil and lotion are also sold at the store or online. She will continue sales for the next five years or so while a farm in Trempealeau County raises her chicks that hatched last year and this spring.
"Even now, I don't really want to," she admitted. But with health issues, "it's just a little too much for me."
Her two sons and Michael's three children helped on the farm.
"Without them, I could never have lasted this long," she said.
Sheep, chickens and two giant friendly dogs, Daisy and Nico, roam the farm.
FRIENDLY BIRDS
Joylene's longstanding tenure as president of the Wisconsin Emu Association and as board member of the American Emu Association has helped her keep her finger on the pulse of the industry. She rattled off facts and figures about their farm and the industry as she's done for thousands of tours before.
Michael would take vacation from work to manage the farm while Joylene attended association conventions around the country.
In Wisconsin, she figures about 300 people own emus, accounting for 1,000 birds. Only a dozen or fewer raise them commercially.
Emus hatch in spring, and because of Wisconsin's winters, the Reavises collected the eggs to incubate them. It takes 52 days for chicks to hatch. They weigh 1.5 to 2 pounds and have stripes like chipmunks. The birds can't fly, and they have the same structural frame as a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.
Joylene walked the aisle between the pens Wednesday cracking jokes about her remaining emus. There was 23-year-old Phyllis curled up against the fence with her head in the weeds while her mate, 14-year-old Phil, checked out the visitors.
"She goes for younger men," Joylene said. "Instead of an emu, maybe we outta call her a cougar."
Females are protective of their males, and a female will fight another if she looks at her mate wrong, Joylene said. Each pair has their own pen.
She said she'll miss Phil, who seems to love attention.
"He's the only bird here that I would put my hand up by his beak and know that he wouldn't pinch me," she said. "He's a sweetheart."