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 Needs in
Fine, New York
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Baby Chicks Facts in
Fine, New York
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Fine New York
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
Fine New York * 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 Fine
New York * 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 Bedding in
Fine, New York
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
Fine New York 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 Fine,
New York Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and also
hard to withstand,
but it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
appropriate materials, yet
also the appropriate
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
easy, you simply have to provide them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy
environment Plenty of food and water Attention as well as
love Habitat Your environment can be an easy box, aquarium,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without any loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You likewise require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
supply them with a warmth source.
This can be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb likewise work very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could take up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
and every week this can
be reduced by
approximately 5 levels approximately. The warmth resource need to get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other edge of your warmth
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not merely snuggling),
you should include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is vital as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform
the bed linen
commonly and
consistently give clean
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand extremely quickly
which needs lots of clean
food and water. Provide
sufficient at all times and check
frequently to prevent thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
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 occupy that activity up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Attention and also love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will most
likely bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
view their behavior, you could
capture disease or various
other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
other unhealthy
indicators. Make certain to
likewise check out
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted plumes and also blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to keep an eye out for social concerns, such as the
smallest chick getting picked
on. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are now totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and also move outside into a
coop. Check out our
area on chicken coops to read more
concerning cages as well as
correct coop environments.
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