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 Chicks
Diet in
Douglas, Nebraska
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Douglas Nebraska,
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. Douglas
Nebraska also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Douglas Nebraska, 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 Douglas NE.
Baby Chicks in
Douglas, Nebraska
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Douglas Nebraska
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
Douglas Nebraska * 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 Douglas
Nebraska * 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 Names in
Douglas, Nebraska
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
Douglas Nebraska 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 Douglas,
Nebraska Baby chicks are really
adorable and also
hard to resist,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
appropriate materials, yet
likewise the correct
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you just need
to offer them with the following: A
clean as well as warm
environment A lot of food and water Attention and also
love Habitat Your environment could be a straightforward box, aquarium,
feline carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You likewise require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
supply them with a warmth resource.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb also function extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
and each week this can
be reduced by
about 5 degrees or
so. The warmth source should be on simply one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you have to
lower the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you should include some warmth.
House cleaning
Sanitation is vital and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to change
the bedding
often and also
constantly supply tidy
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks expand extremely quick
which calls for lots of clean
food as well as water. Give
sufficient at all times and check
usually to avoid parched and
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others won't take
up that task till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to bathe in.
Focus and also love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and
not run away as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
watch their behavior, you could
catch illness or various
other troubles earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other harmful
indicators. Be sure to
likewise consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead
to matted feathers and obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to look out
for social issues, such as the
littlest chick getting badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your home
and also move outside right into a cage. Look into our
section on chicken cages for more information
concerning coops and
correct coop environments.
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