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.
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Baby Chicks Needs in
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Baby Chickens
And Ducks For Sale in
Center, Colorado
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Center Colorado
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
Center Colorado * 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 Center
Colorado * 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.
Raising Baby Chickens in
Center, Colorado
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
Center Colorado 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 Center,
Colorado Baby chicks are very
cute as well as
tough to stand up to,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by compiling not only the
appropriate products, yet
also the appropriate
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you just need
to provide them with the following: A tidy as well as warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food and also water Focus and
love Environment Your habitat can be a
simple box, fish tank,
feline service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
misshapen. You likewise require
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Also, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
give them with a heat source.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb also work very
well (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature level
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and every week this can
be reduced by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat source need to be on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other edge of your warmth
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you have to add some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to transform
the bedding
often as well as
constantly supply clean
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks grow extremely fast
which calls for a lot of clean
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient at all times and also examine
usually to avoid dehydrated and
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others will not use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Focus and also love There are a couple of benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. First off, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their actions, you can
catch health problem or various
other troubles previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
also consider
their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted feathers as well
as clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
littlest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your house
as well as relocate outside right into a cage. Have a look at our
area on chicken coops to read more
regarding coops and also
correct coop habitats.
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