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 Chicks Needs in
Lakeland, Florida
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lakeland Florida,
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. Lakeland
Florida also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Lakeland Florida, 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 Lakeland FL.
Baby Chicks Habitat in
Lakeland, Florida
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lakeland Florida
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
Lakeland Florida * 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 Lakeland
Florida * 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 101 in
Lakeland, Florida
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
Lakeland Florida 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 Lakeland,
Florida Baby chicks are quite
adorable and also
challenging to withstand,
yet it's ideal to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
right products, but
additionally the appropriate
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you merely need
to give them with the following: A tidy and warm and comfortable
environment A lot of food as well
as water Attention and
love Habitat Your environment could be an easy box, fish tank,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
paper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You also need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks age you could introduce a perch
into the environment to get them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you have to
offer 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 store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched out need a temperature
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
and weekly this could
be minimized by
about 5 levels approximately. The warmth source need to get on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your warmth
light, you should
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you should include some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to transform
the bed linen
often as well as
always give clean
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks expand extremely quick
which calls for a lot of tidy
food and water. Offer
enough at all times and also check
usually to
stop dehydrated and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a couple of advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly more than likely bond with you as well as
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
view their actions, you can
capture illness or other problems earlier. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
other harmful
signs. Make certain to
also take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead
to matted feathers as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and relocate outside right into a cage. Take a look at our
area on chicken coops to learn more
regarding coops as well as
correct cage habitats.
Baby Chicks Male Or FemaleBaby Chicks Order Online More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Eglin Afb, Florida Baby Chickens for Sale in Lake Monroe, Florida Baby Chickens for Sale in Campbellton, Florida Baby Chickens for Sale in Istachatta, Florida Baby Chickens for Sale in Brandon, Florida