Exercising The Chicks

Our newest streaming video shows clips of young whooper chicks getting their daily exercise. All young animals need exercise to develop properly, and whoopers are no exception. All the chicks have access to an outside run where they can probe, move around, and run and play. But even so they need routine, planned exercise to grow strong, straight legs and feet. Without adequate exercise, the chicks are in danger of developing leg and toe problems from their rapid growth.

These chicks range in age from 2 to 4 weeks. Brenda and Lillian, in costume and using crane puppet heads, get the chicks used to following them by leading them up and down a grassy aisle way outside their own runs. When they get older, they'll progress to a larger environment and take longer walks. The chicks are walked for 20 minutes, stopping to regroup at each end. When they pause, the technicians use the puppet head and mealworms to encourage the chicks to explore the area and probe. They also use the puppet to intervene when the chicks start to fight. Aggression in young cranes is natural, but the techs make sure no one gets hurt. Once the chicks are following again, their focus is on catching up with the techs and there is no time for squabbles.

Besides being walked for exercise, chicks are also swum in a large pool. The two different forms of exercise provide a good variety of movement. The chicks' most rapid growth is between 10 and 25 days of age. After that the need for extra exercise is reduced, as the chicks put a lot of energy into growing feathers and their body growth slows.

To see the exercise video, you will need to install the free Real Player application. Go to the Real Player link, above, and make sure you select Download Free Real Player 8 Basic. The .rm extension on the files indicates a RealVideo file. To view Real Player 8 minimum system requirements, click here. The rate with which you connect with our system can affect the quality of the video transmission. Low connectivity rates caused by noisy phone lines or heavy internet traffic may make the video hard to view. If that happens, try during a less busy time and the video may transmit better. Some systems may not have the appropriate hardware or internet connection to handle videos so we provide the still-photos on the left, that were taken directly from the videos.  These photos show some of the scenes from the video, so users who cannot access the video can still experience the story.

Whooping Crane Chick Exercise Videos: