Cockatiels are putting on wieght!

Saturday has become "weigh day" here for the cockatiels. Since losing our Chicken I have been reading a lot about illnesses and how to see the first signs, because as prey animals they will hide any signs that they are sick because this would cause them to be an easy target. One of the best ways is to take note of their weight and if they start losing weight, 10% is something to worry about, then it is a good indication that something is wrong.

30th August (the day after we got Squeek)

Spooki: 79g Squeek: 64g

13th September

Spooki: 86g Squeek: 67g

According to what I have been able to find out the average weight of a cockatiel is 80g to 100g so I hope that Squeek is still growing and will get closer to the 80g mark, although maybe he might just be a little bird.

Squeek seems to be settling in nicely, he's getting to be a little fiesty the last few days but that may be because he has discovered his mirror (I have taken that out of his cage to see how that goes) or it might just be becays he is starting to come out of his shell, he was even thinking about whistling yesterday afternoon.

Wicking Boxes

This is the start of my wicking beds. I first saw the idea on Scarecrows Garden

The gerneral idea is that the bottom acts as a reservior and the water is "wicked" up to the root zone for the plants to use

Ok today I dropped in at the local IGA to pick up a few pieces and thought "ahh, they have broccoli on special and it is all nicely displayed on the shelf, what would broccoli come in......broccoli boxes......wicking beds...." so I asked the young guy who was stacking the banana shelf if they had any empty ones. so home I went with three broccoli boxes to turn into wicking beds, inspired.

I had looked into doing it last year and asked at the fruit and veg shop (where better to get broccoli boxes) and they would sell them to me for $2 each (empty that is too) surely word hasn't got out that fast and every one wants broccoli boxes for their wicking beds and the demand for them is overwhelming?

So after last years disappointing efforts of trying to produce food in the middle of summer on sandy soil, with water restrictions I thought maybe I would try something a bit different. Ohh and also being very disappointed with "Woolworths, the not so fresh people"s limp and overpriced lettuce, bok choy and the like, when I have seeds here that should grow perfectly with the right conditions.

I dont think I am ready to jump in to the inground systems, or should I say my diary and back are not ready. So I am thinking of something simple, using things I have around the house, buying as little as possible. Also I have come to think that there is a lot of "junk" around the place, so surely some of that would have to be useful, why else would I have kept it so its a bit of a challenge to myself.

Heres what I'm thinking so far, hole up the side to create the reservior, 10mm gravel in the bottom, cut PET bottle or milk container as the watering tubes, maybe a margarine container with the bottom cut out for the feeding station, so a lid can be used to give the worms "privacy". Then fill it with some potting mix I have in the shed. Should be pretty much FREE.

I have to think about what plants to use, I am thinking the ones that just wont make it in the beds, the high feed/water needing plants (the things that wilt the first in the garden) and also things that I can continuously harvest, like lettuce, bok choy, kale, herbs and other greens....hmmm thats the end of my list, surely there must be more?

Seedings Showing Growth

Some of the seedlings that I planted last week have started pop out of the potting mix maybe it is just a coincidence but these were planted in the leafy moon pase and that is generally what has popped up. Coincidence or proof that moon planting works??

Birdy Bathing Time

Spooki and Squeak having a shower in the rain

We had a little bit of rain this afternoon, so I took the opportunity to let the birds have a shower the way nature intended. Not really captured in this photo but they loved it, Squeak was walking around on the botom of the cage and and was almost rolling around, head right down on the bottom of the cage wings up.

It was just wonderful to watch, I had taken Spooki in the shower with me but she didnt seem to enjoy it just sat there, so to see them both fluttering around and turning themselves inside out was bilss.

Harvest

The first harvest of carrots and beetroot. I sould have had something in the picture for a size comparison but for an idea the beetroots are about the size of golf balls. The carrots are supposed to be "baby" Carrots but I think that is just a little bit too baby, maybe another order of seeds might be comming up :0)