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
Outside With Heat Lamp in
Vail, Colorado
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Vail Colorado,
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Baby Chickens For Sale Online in
Vail, Colorado
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Vail 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
Vail 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 Vail
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.
Baby Chicks As
Pets in
Vail, 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
Vail 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 Vail,
Colorado Baby chicks are very
charming and also
challenging to stand up to,
yet it's finest to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first
by compiling not only the
correct materials, yet
additionally the appropriate
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
easy, you just have to supply them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
habitat Plenty of food and water Attention and also
love Environment Your environment can be a
simple box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You likewise need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch
into the habitat to obtain them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
supply them with a warmth source.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise function very
well (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as each week this can
be minimized by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat source should be on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not simply snuggling),
you should include some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is vital and it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to change
the bedding
commonly and also
consistently supply clean
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks expand quite fast
which needs a lot of clean
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient at all times and examine
commonly to avoid dehydrated and also
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want
to obtain a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't use up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
enjoy their behavior, you can
catch health problem or various
other issues earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other unhealthy
indications. Make sure to
likewise consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted feathers and also obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is essential to look out
for social issues, such as the
smallest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety of your house
and move outside right into a
coop. Look into our
section on chicken coops to read more
concerning cages and also
appropriate cage environments.
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