Usually birds that settle down together in the evening will successfully pair up. Shelters may be made of wood, tin, fiberglass or other materials. Fiberglass shelters are quite bright inside because of penetrating sunlight. Shelters with good lighting appear to encourage the emus to nest inside. Bedding, such as straw inside the huts, encourages inside egg laying and makes clean egg collection easier.
Adult emus appear to be quite tolerant to cold weather.
However, inexperienced handlers have been hurt by kicking, struggling emus. An emu crowded against a fence will, by natural instinct, turn and try to crowd past a person. To restrain the bird, grasp its wings at the top, get behind it so that it cannot kick you and push downward, as if forcing the bird to bend its knees. To move a bird, grasp it by the chest under the wings and lift and push in the direction you want it to go. An adult bird used to being handled can be gently guided by the wings.