WHOOPING CRANE CHICK: DAY 09 |
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Not everyone has
their own private pool, but Patuxent does! The weather has been so hot
that walking the chicks hasn't been practical. But swimming is perfect for
hot weather, letting the chicks stay cool while they develop strong legs.
Sometimes the chicks will bathe in the pool, or chase crickets or
mealworms we toss in the water for them. Standing next to the pool, Brenda
walks back and forth with puppet in hand, calling to Tux so that he will
follow her. If she didn't, he might just float on the water, enjoying the
coolness and taking it easy.
But he's in training and has to keep working! Swimming usually last 20 minutes, and Tux might go swimming twice a day until he's about 25 days old. By then his growth will have slowed down and regular exercise won't be critical. Check our site tomorrow! |
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Cool Facts:
See this page for more
cool facts each day. |
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Click here to ask questions about our chick or Patuxent's crane program. |
Hatch Day (Click on numbered links to view other egg (negative numbers) and chick days).
To check on updates after day 14, go to whooper's
home.
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Exercise: Swimming. In addition to walking,
another good exercise for hand-reared whooper chicks is swimming. Swimming is a
natural activity they do with their parents in the wild, since the young chicks
are usually too small to walk through the deep water their parents can wade
through. If crane chicks gain too much weight too fast, they can have problems
with their legs. Swimming is especially good for chicks who may have an injured
leg, or when it's too hot to take them for walks.