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 Names in
Norton, Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Norton Virginia,
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. Norton
Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Norton Virginia, 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 Norton VA.
Baby Chickens Mail in
Norton, Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Norton Virginia
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
Norton Virginia * 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 Norton
Virginia * 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 Raising in
Norton, Virginia
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
Norton Virginia 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 Norton,
Virginia Baby chicks are really
adorable as well as
challenging to withstand,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
right products, however
likewise the correct
understanding to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you merely should supply them with the following: A
clean and warm
environment Lots of food and also water Focus and also
love Habitat Your habitat can be a straightforward box, aquarium,
cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without any loose
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
paper or various other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You additionally need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Additionally, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
into the environment to get them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
offer them with a warmth source.
This can be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also work very
well (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can take up to 2 months). The newly
hatched out need a temperature level
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and each week this can
be decreased by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource ought
to be on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
contrary corner of your warmth
light, you should
lower the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you have to add some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is vital as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to alter
the bedding
usually and
constantly give clean
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand really quickly
which requires plenty of clean
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient whatsoever times as well
as inspect
usually to avoid parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others will not occupy that task till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to bathe in.
Attention and also love There are a
few advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you and also
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their actions, you could
catch ailment or various
other troubles earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
indications. Be sure to
also look at
their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted plumes and clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is important to look out
for social issues, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and also move outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken cages to read more
about cages and also
correct coop habitats.
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