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 In A Box in
Dagsboro, Delaware
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Dagsboro Delaware,
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. Dagsboro
Delaware also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Dagsboro Delaware, 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 Dagsboro DE.
Baby Chickens Diet in
Dagsboro, Delaware
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Dagsboro Delaware
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
Dagsboro Delaware * 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 Dagsboro
Delaware * 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 Chickens For Sale in
Dagsboro, Delaware
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
Dagsboro Delaware 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 Dagsboro,
Delaware Baby chicks are quite
charming and
hard to stand up to,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
appropriate products, however
also the correct
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
simple, you simply have to give them with the following: A
clean and cozy
environment Plenty of food and water Focus and
love Environment Your environment could be a straightforward box, aquarium,
pet cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without loosened
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You also need
something to dish out food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as a family
pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you could introduce a perch
into the environment to obtain them
trained on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you should
provide them with a warmth source.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb additionally work extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could take up to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and 100 levels,
and also each week this could
be reduced by
approximately 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource must get on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
contrary corner of your warmth
lamp, you need to
minimize the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you should add some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linen
typically and
always supply clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand very quickly
which calls for lots of clean
food as well as water. Provide
enough at all times and check
frequently to prevent thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, then
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
dust baths, while others won't use up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly more than likely bond with you as well as
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
watch their actions, you could
catch ailment or other troubles previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
other unhealthy
indications. Be sure to
additionally consider
their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted feathers and stopped up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to look out
for social problems, such as the
smallest chick getting picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently fully feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and move outside into a
coop. Have a look at our
part on chicken coops to read more
concerning coops and
correct cage environments.
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