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 Breeds in
Lobeco, South Carolina
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lobeco South Carolina,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
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baby chicks for sale in Lobeco SC.
Baby Chickens As Pets in
Lobeco, South Carolina
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lobeco South Carolina
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
Lobeco South Carolina * 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 Lobeco
South Carolina * 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 Coop in
Lobeco, South Carolina
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
Lobeco South Carolina 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 Lobeco,
South Carolina Baby chicks are extremely
adorable as well as
hard to withstand,
however it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
proper products, however
likewise the proper
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you just have to provide them with the following: A tidy as well as warm and comfortable
environment Lots of food and water Focus and
love Habitat Your environment can be a basic box, aquarium,
pet cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to begin, and after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
newspaper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You additionally require
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
supply them with a warmth source.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb additionally work very
well (my
referral). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can occupy to 2 months). The newly
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
and weekly this can
be reduced by
approximately 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource need to get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
opposite corner of your warmth
light, you need to
lower the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just curling up),
you need to add some heat.
House cleaning
Sanitation is essential as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to change
the bed linens
often and
always give tidy
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand really fast
which needs plenty of clean
food as well as water. Give
sufficient in any way times and check
typically to avoid thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks like to obtain a head start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't take
up that task till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and also
see their habits, you could
catch illness or other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
other unhealthy
indications. Make sure to
also look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can result in matted feathers and clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is important to look out
for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now totally feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety of your residence
as well as move outside right into a
coop. Look into our
part on chicken cages to get more information
about coops and
proper coop environments.
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