The toughest new addition to the Moody Gardens penguin exhibit has been named after the toughest athlete in the Houston area – Texans defensive star J.J. Watt.
Watt, a baby King Penguin who hatched earlier this month, suffered an injury shortly after breaking out of his shell. Under the care of Moody Gardens biologists, Watt proved he was one tough chick and made a quick recovery. He is back on exhibit, joining the nearly 100 penguins housed in the Aquarium Pyramid.
“The little chick braved through it all,” said Moody Gardens assistant curator Diane Olsen. “It was an injury we had to keep an eye on, and our staff did a good job taking care of it.”
Olsen said she’s not completely sure how Watt suffered the injury, a cut on his back, but said it was likely caused by a squabble between the parent and another penguin. Penguins are extremely protective of their young and will fight those that appear to be a threat to their chick.
Galveston veterinarian Dr. Richard Henderson closed the wound after Watt was injured. From there, Moody Gardens Vet Tech Karen Holcroft and the rest of the penguin biologists treated him until the injury was healed.
“You always have to be worried about infection and stuff,” Olsen said. “We cleaned the wound and weighed him twice a day. We watched it very carefully.”
J.J. Watt is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most popular athletes in Houston. He was drafted by the Texans in 2011 out of Wisconsin, and quickly became known as one of the toughest players in the franchise’s history.
Olsen said that like all other chicks, the new King penguin will only be on exhibit with its parents for a limited time. Although adult penguins are expert swimmers, babies must be kept safely away from the exhibit waters until they become water savvy.
The gender of the young chick is still unknown because penguins are not sexually dimorphic, meaning it is impossible to tell male and female penguins apart based solely on looks. While away from the exhibit, blood tests will be done to determine the sex of the hatchling.
MOODY GARDENS KING PENGUIN HISTORY
King Penguins originally arrived in Galveston in 1998, when a group of staff members from the Aquarium at Moody Gardens joined biologists and other professionals from Chile, France and the United States on an expedition to South Georgia Island in the Antarctic to collect eggs. The eggs were gathered during the fall breeding season and then transported to Galveston and hatched prior to the opening of the Aquarium Pyramid in May 1999.
Moody Gardens has a successful breeding program, with 15 King Penguin chicks hatched since 2003. There has been a total six chicks hatched overall among the King, Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins this breeding season. This is the first King to hatch this year.
Share this:
Baby Chickens How To Care For Them in
Mill Valley, California
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Mill Valley California,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Mill Valley
California also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Mill Valley California, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Mill Valley CA.
Baby Chicks
Raising in
Mill Valley, California
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Mill Valley California
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Mill Valley California * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Mill Valley
California * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chicks Male Or Female in
Mill Valley, California
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Mill Valley California is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Mill Valley,
California Baby chicks are really
cute and
tough to withstand,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
proper products, but
additionally the appropriate
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
simple, you merely should supply them with the following: A tidy and warm
environment Lots of food as well
as water Attention and also
love Habitat Your environment can be a
simple box, aquarium,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You also require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
provide them with a heat source.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb additionally function extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can occupy to two months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature
between 90 and 100 levels,
as well as each week this can
be reduced by
around 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource must get on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you need to add some warmth.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is vital and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to alter
the bedding
often and also
consistently offer tidy
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand extremely quick
which calls for a lot of tidy
food and also water. Provide
enough whatsoever times and also inspect
often to avoid thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking
filth baths, while others will not take
up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to shower in.
Interest as well as love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. First of all, they will more than likely bond with you and also
not run away as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
watch their habits, you can
catch disease or other troubles earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
signs. Be sure to
likewise look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted plumes as well
as clogged up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently completely feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your house
and relocate outside into a cage. Look into our
part on chicken cages for more information
about coops and
proper coop habitats.
Baby Chicks OnlineBaby Chickens Habitat More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Ceres, California Baby Chickens for Sale in Lagunitas, California Baby Chickens for Sale in Cazadero, California Baby Chickens for Sale in Goshen, California Baby Chickens for Sale in Fulton, California