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 Chickens Sale in
Williams, Minnesota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Williams Minnesota,
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. Williams
Minnesota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Williams Minnesota, 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 Williams MN.
Baby Chicks Baby
Chickens in
Williams, Minnesota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Williams Minnesota
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
Williams Minnesota * 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 Williams
Minnesota * 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 Male in
Williams, Minnesota
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
Williams Minnesota 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 Williams,
Minnesota Baby chicks are very
adorable and
hard to stand up to,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
appropriate materials, but
also the correct
understanding to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
straightforward, you simply should supply them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
environment Lots of food as well
as water Interest as well as
love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, aquarium,
cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without any loose
strings!) to start, and also after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You additionally need
something to provide food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
supply them with a warmth source.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise function extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
as well as weekly this could
be reduced by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The warmth source need to get on simply one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your warmth
lamp, you have to
reduce the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not simply snuggling),
you should put some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is key and it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to transform
the bedding
commonly as well as
always provide tidy
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand extremely quickly
which requires a lot of clean
food and water. Give
enough at all times and also check
typically to prevent dehydrated and also
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others won't use up that activity till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Focus and also love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
see their actions, you could
catch ailment or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
other harmful
signs. Be sure to
also take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can bring about matted feathers and clogged cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your house
and also relocate outside into a cage. Look into our
part on chicken cages to get more information
concerning coops as well as
proper cage environments.
Baby Chickens BuyBaby Chicks On Sale More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Finland, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Jeffers, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Dawson, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Mendota, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Warren, Minnesota