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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Raising Baby Quail Chicks in
Van Horne, Iowa
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Van Horne Iowa,
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Baby Chicks Facts in
Van Horne, Iowa
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Van Horne Iowa
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
Van Horne Iowa * 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 Van Horne
Iowa * 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 As Pets in
Van Horne, Iowa
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
Van Horne Iowa 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 Van Horne,
Iowa Baby chicks are quite
cute and
hard to resist,
however it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
proper materials, but
likewise the appropriate
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
simple, you merely have to provide them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
habitat A lot of food and also water Focus and
love Environment Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without loosened
strings!) to start, as well as after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or various other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand
misshapen. You additionally need
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on setting down. Heat To
keep your chicks heat you should
offer them with a heat source.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise work extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and also each week this can
be decreased by
roughly 5 levels or
so. The heat source must be on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your warmth
lamp, you should
lower the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you have to include some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is key and also it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to change
the bed linen
typically as well as
constantly offer clean
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks expand really fast
which requires a lot of tidy
food as well as water. Offer
enough in any way times as well
as inspect
usually to avoid dehydrated as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, then
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
dust baths, while others won't use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly probably bond with you and also
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
enjoy their habits, you could
catch health problem or various
other problems earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other harmful
indications. Make sure to
additionally look at
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted feathers as well
as blocked cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and also move outside into a cage. Take a look at our
area on chicken coops to find out
more
about coops and
correct cage environments.
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