May 8, 2001 Weighing In Four-day-old chick Photo Operation Migration   Watch a Whooping Crane Being Weighed Video Operation Migration By four days of age, a chick has made progress! It can now stand up tall and walk well. The chick still stumbles sometimes, but its legs get stronger and steadier with every passing hour. Whooper chicks have very fluffy, dense downy coats. Later, their reddish cinnamon color gives way to a rust and white mottled look as the white feathers grow in. The chicks are weighed a couple of times each day during the first week. Their weights let the handlers know if the chicks are eating. The newly hatched chicks are in a drawer-like incubator. This keeps them warm during the drying-out process and first few hours after hatching. Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form