BeritaTREN.COM

She was born in the house and is as much a part of the Newby family as the six children.

Beaky the pet emu loves to relax in front of the television, she will eat anything in sight at dinner time and is not averse to a soak in the bath.

Weighing around 12 stone and measuring 6ft in height, the fully-grown bird has defied expert opinion by remaining tame and domesticated.

Happy family: Iain Newby with emu Beaky Bill and from left Harry 6, Jack 7, Lisa holding Joe 10 months, Bryce 5, Peter 2 and George 3

But at the age of two, Beaky has now been banished to a summerhouse in the garden because she is too messy and troublesome to be allowed the run of the family home anymore.

Owner Iain Newby, 44, was given the unborn emu by his wife Lisa, 36, in the form of an egg as an unusual Christmas present.

‘I made a makeshift emu egg incubator out of the back of an old budgie incubator and a seed tray,’ he said.

‘I didn’t really think it would work - but to my astonishment Beaky hatched.

‘As a chick I put her in one of my children’s old playpens - but after a few months she was already three feet-tall and she found she could jump out.

Cooling off: Iain Newby pictured hosing down Beaky Bill the four-year old Emu which he keeps in his back garden in Southend

‘Beaky would love running about with the children and playing with the toys. She is very much a part of the family.’

Because they all grew up together, the couple’s children, Jack, seven, Harry, six, Bryce, five, George, three, Peter, two and Joe ten months - all feel that Beaky is like a sister to them.

And the emu clearly regards Mr Newby as her father and Mrs Newby as a mother.

She eats 14 pounds of corn a week and about five pounds of her favourite fruit and vegetables, particulary broccoli, peas and cauliflower.

‘She’s just like a dustbin and will literally eat anything the children toss in her mouth.

Friends: Iain Newby pictured with Beaky who sits down and watches television with the six foot-tall bird who loves to be a part of family life

‘In fact she’ll eat just about anything if allowed to - keys, drill bits, sponges.’

Her tendency to peck and break household items is one of the reasons why Beaky now spends nights in an outhouse, but if the gate is left unbolted and the back door open then she will be quick to sneak inside to see the children or watch TV.

‘As she was female we were told she would become aggressive at about six months of age, but she is still as tame as ever and the experts think it’s a miracle.

‘She loves the kids and has never ever pecked one of them, there is not a bad bone in her body.’

The Newby family live in Little Wakering, near Southend, Essex, and also have four dogs, five cats, one parrot and a hedgehog as pets.

Looking after an emu at home would be beyond most people as the birds are lively, strong and demanding creatures. But Mr and Mrs Newby also run a Dangerous Wild Animal Rescue Facility on the site.

Their charity takes in unusual abandoned animals and they look after two crocodiles, snakes, lizards, large tortoises, spiders, macaws and other exotic creatures.

However, emus are not classified as a dangerous animal in law and Beaky is regarded purely as a pet as she was born and raised in the family home.

The Newby family live in Little Wakering, near Southend, Essex, and also have four dogs, five cats, one parrot and a hedgehog as pets

The emu has already laid 18 eggs – which the family enjoyed eating – and has an 80 square metre pen to run off her energy in.

But Mr Newby said he ‘wouldn’t recommend’ the average family follow his chose of household pet.

‘They live 60 years, grow up very strong and not all of them are as friendly as our special Beaky,’ he said.

Iain Newby with his daughter Bryce and Beaky Bill who has an 80 metre pen to stretch her legs in. www.dailymail.co.uk