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 How To Care For Them in
Ocean Park, Maine
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Ocean Park Maine,
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. Ocean Park
Maine also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Ocean Park Maine, 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 Ocean Park ME.
Baby Chickens
Black in
Ocean Park, Maine
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Ocean Park Maine
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
Ocean Park Maine * 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 Ocean Park
Maine * 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 Information in
Ocean Park, Maine
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
Ocean Park Maine 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 Ocean Park,
Maine Baby chicks are quite
adorable and
tough to stand up to,
yet it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
correct products, yet
additionally the appropriate
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you merely should supply them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
environment Plenty of food and also water Focus and
love Environment Your environment can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid using just
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You also need
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and a family
pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you need to
provide them with a warmth resource.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb additionally function effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could use
up to two months). The recently
hatched require a temperature
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and each week this could
be lowered by
about 5 levels approximately. The heat resource need to get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
opposite corner of your heat
light, you need to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not just curling up),
you should add some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is essential as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to change
the bedding
typically and
constantly supply tidy
food and water Food and water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which needs lots of tidy
food and water. Provide
enough in any way times and also check
typically to
stop dehydrated 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
very first 2 months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and then to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to obtain a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Interest and love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will more than likely bond with you as well as
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
see their habits, you could
capture disease or other problems previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other harmful
indicators. Be sure to
likewise look at
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted plumes and clogged up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently fully feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
as well as move outside into a cage. Check out our
area on chicken cages to learn more
about coops as well as
appropriate cage habitats.
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