The Houston Zoo raises Attwater’s Prairie Chickens as part of a captive breeding program. The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken chicks are hand raised and, when they are old enough, many are released into the wild, while others will become part of the breeding program. Chicks begin hatching in late April and the last chicks will hatch in early June.
Attwater’s chicks are precocial, meaning they have feathers and can move and eat on their own. In the wild, the chicks rely on the hen to provide heat. When we hand raise the chicks, we provide them with a heat source and plenty of food and water. Their diet is carefully measured to maintain the proper balance of vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients so the chicks can grow at the proper rate. It is important that the chicks are healthy and strong, so that when they are released into the wild they have a good chance of survival.
