INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You will know that your cockatiels are preparing to mate when the male starts preparing the nest. The male will gnaw on the nest box opening to enlarge it to the size that he prefers. He will also arrange the bedding material in a way that he likes. When he has made the box the way that he wants it to be, then he will allow the female to enter. When it’s time to mate the male cockatiel will do a mating dance. During this dance, he will bob his head, hop around, and sing. You will also notice the birds grooming each other often. When the female is ready to mate she will crouch down. This position makes it possible for the male to mate with her.  Mating may take up to a minute and then the male will fly away. The female cockatiel should lay her eggs about two weeks after mating. Each of the parents will take turns brooding the eggs, but the female will sit on them most of the time. You may notice that both parents pluck out some of their own feathers to expose a bit of bare skin. This is called a “brood patch” and the parents do this so that their bare skin can make contact with the eggs.  Hatching takes about three weeks, but she will lay eggs for about a week before she is ready to incubate them. She will lay an egg about once every 48 hours until she has laid a clutch of about two to eight eggs.  The male cockatiel will provide food for the female cockatiel while she broods the eggs. After the 21 day incubation period, the eggs will hatch. You can take a quick peek at the nest box to make sure there are no dead or distressed chicks but otherwise try not to disturb the new family. Let the parents and babies have some time and privacy to bond. Cockatiels will not begin the weaning process (eating without the help of a parent) until they are about eight to 10 weeks old. At this point, you may want to separate male and female chicks from each other to prevent breeding. Brothers and sisters may pair up and mate if the conditions are right, so it is best to separate male chicks from female chicks to prevent unwanted babies. After your cockatiels have mated and produced chicks, you may want to take steps to prevent them from mating again. There are a few different things that you can do to prevent mating.   Decrease light. Providing a little less light per day will discourage breeding. For example, you can reduce the amount of light that your cockatiels receive from 10-12 hours to about eight hours per day. This will simulate winter conditions and make it less likely that your cockatiels will mate.  Remove the nest box. Once you cockatiels have finished using the nest box to brood and raise their chicks, you can remove the nest box from the cage.  Eliminate soft foods. Do not feed your birds any soft foods, such as pasta, beans, and moist bread. However, make sure that you are still giving your birds plenty of nutritious food.

SUMMARY: Watch the male cockatiel prepare the nest. Observe the signs of mating. Allow the parents to brood their eggs. Leave the nest alone. Reduce breeding activity.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Create 2 parallel swooping lines extending from the top of the rump. You can make these as long as you like and space them as far apart as you want. Spacing them further apart will make for a fuller looking tail. As you near the ends of the swooping lines, bring them in towards each other to form a pointed end. Imagine the horses tail is blowing in the wind slightly and draw it extending out from the horse’s body, or keep it in close to the horse’s body to give the impression of stillness. Position the eye just under the ear on the side of the horse’s head. Then, create a thick dot at the center if you want the horse to be looking at you. Another option is to position the dot towards the front of the circle to give the impression that the horse is looking ahead. Give the horse a simple smile with a curved line that extends from the front of its snout to about one-third of the way down it. Then, add a small circle or dot on the top edge of the snout near the end to indicate a nostril. To make it seem like the horse’s other ear is partially hidden because you’re viewing it from the side, add a second triangle beside the first one. Position this triangle slightly in front of the first one, and end it about halfway down the side. Imagine the horse’s ears are 2 mountains side-by-side and you can only see about one-third of the back mountain. Create a wavy or zigzagging line going all the way down the back of the horse’s neck. This will be its mane. You can also add a small tuft in front of its ears if you want. Then, color in the mane in whatever color you like. Fill in the tail with the same color. You can also color in the horse’s body in any color you want, such as brown, tan, black, white, or even an unconventional color, such as red, purple, or green. It’s your horse! Make it any color you want!

SUMMARY: Outline the tail on the top of the rump. Make a circle with a dot in the center for an eye. Draw the mouth and nostril with a curved line and circle. Add a second triangle slightly behind the first to create another ear. Outline and fill in the mane and tail with the desired color. Finished.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: First, line a heavy saucepan on your stovetop with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Set the burner to medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat up, then add 1 cup (185 g) of basmati rice and 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Stir to mix the juice and rice and spread the rice evenly. Let the rice sautee for one minute. If starches are a concern, rinse the rice in a strainer under the faucet before adding it to the pan. Once the rice has toasted in the oil for a minute, pour 2 cups (473 ml) of water into the saucepan. Wait for the water to begin boiling. Then cover the saucepan and turn the heat down to low.  For white rice, leave the pan covered for roughly 18 minutes before checking to see if the rice has become tender and absorbed all the water. For brown rice, wait for 30.  Avoid checking earlier than needed, which will cause moisture to escape as steam. First, fluff it with a fork once it’s cooked. Then stir in 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro. Finally, dish equal portions out into four bowls. Divide your chicken into four equal portions. Use each portion to top one bowl of rice. Then top each bowl with ¼ cup of cooked pinto beans, ¼ cup of cooked corn, ¼ cup of guacamole, and ¼ cup of pico de gallo. Finally, divide ½ to ¾ cup of shredded monterey jack cheese into quarters, sprinkle it on top of each serving, and enjoy. Canned corn and beans are already cooked and ready to serve.

SUMMARY:
Sautee your rice. Cook the rice in water. Dish out your rice. Add other ingredients. Finished.