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 Chickens Under Lights in
Jacksonville, Illinois
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Baby Chickens And
Baby Ducks in
Jacksonville, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Jacksonville Illinois
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
Jacksonville Illinois * 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 Jacksonville
Illinois * 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 Under Heat Lamp in
Jacksonville, Illinois
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
Jacksonville Illinois 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 Jacksonville,
Illinois Baby chicks are extremely
charming and also
tough to resist,
but it's finest to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
right products, but
also the proper
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you simply need
to provide them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
environment Lots of food as well
as water Interest and
love Habitat Your habitat can be a
simple box, fish tank,
feline provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (without loose
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using only
newspaper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You also require
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you have to
supply them with a heat source.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb likewise function effectively (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can use
up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and every week this could
be lowered by
about 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource ought
to get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
light, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just cuddling),
you need to include some heat.
House cleaning
Sanitation is crucial as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to change
the bedding
usually as well as
always give clean
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow extremely quick
which requires a lot of tidy
food and also water. Give
enough at all times and check
commonly to prevent parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention and love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you and
not run away as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
see their actions, you can
catch illness or other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
various other harmful
signs. Make certain to
also look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted feathers and also stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now totally feathery
and its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and relocate outside into a
coop. Check out our
section on chicken coops to get more information
about cages as well as
appropriate cage environments.
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