VOLUME 21: ISSUE 6 JULY 2015 PRICE $2.50

(ABN 28 078 663 867) VOLUME 21: ISSUE 6 JULY 2015 PRICE $2.50 PATRONS MIKE ANDERSON MIKE CANNON QLD NSW THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF: THE NATIVE COCKATIEL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC. PO BOX 8391, GLENMORE PARK. NSW. 2745

INSIDE THIS ISSUE PRESIDENTS REPORT PAGE 4 BREEDERS PAGE PAGE 5 COCKATIEL CARE & DIET PAGES 6-7 NOTICES TO MEMBERS PAGE 10 CASTLE HILL BIRD SALE PAGE 10 LEG RING PRICES PAGE 11 BUY SWAP & SELL PAGE 14 CLUB SHIRT ORDER FORM PAGE 15 THE CINNAMON COCKATIEL PAGE 16 YEAST PROBLEMS WITH BABIES PAGES 17 19 UNHEALTHY CROP PAGE 20 HEALTHY CROP PAGE 21 COCKATOO PUZZLE PAGE 22 FORBES BIRD SALE PAGE 23 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION PAGE 24 NCSA SHOW S POINT SCORE TALLY PAGE 25 TENTATIVE CALENDAR 2015 PAGE 26

3 The Native Cockatiel Society of Australia Inc. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE President. PATRICK WAITE Vice President PETER GALEA Secretary... Treasurer.. Editor.... RON LYNN RON LYNN PATRICK WAITE Committee JUDIT PRESTIDGE BRIAN WATERS MELISSA GALEA DAVID MORTON BRIAN WATERS MELISSA GALEA JOHN BOSTROVAS ROB HARROD Ring Steward VAL NEWMAN Show Manager/Secretary VAL NEWMAN Federation Informant.... KEITH GALLAGHER The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Society, its Members or the Management Committee. The Native Cockatiel Society of Australia Inc. cannot endorse any advertisers product/s or services. All letters sent to the Editor or Secretary become the property of the Native Cockatiel Society of Australia Inc. and are subject to editing and publication unless specific exemption is requested. The Native Cockatiel Society of Australia Inc. reserves all rights in N.C.S.A. NEWS. No matter shall be reprinted without the permission of the Society. NEXT GENERAL MEETING (2 nd Monday of the Month) 13th of July 2015 @ Lansvale East Community Hall 20-24 Day Street, Lansvale. NSW 7.30 pm NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING (4 th Tuesday of the Month) Unless changed to suit 28th of July 2015 Unit 15/19-21 Seton Road Moorebank NSW 2170 7.30pm CONTACT NUMBERS PATRICK WAITE 0467 20 30 40 PETER GALEA 0416 359 816 RON LYNN 0418 696 583 BRIAN WATERS 02 9822 8840 EMAIL ADDRESSES : secretary@cockatiel.org.au editor@cockatiel.org.au WEBSITE: www.cockatiel.org.au

Dear Members, 4 Presidents Report At our next meeting, Monday 13th of July at Lansvale, we will be hosting a Bingo & Pizza Night. Come along for a chance to win plus we ll be having Dominos Pizza. Bring your partner, bring a friend, just come along for a little fun. The club recently helped out with a request from The Federal Cat Club of Australasia to help them with setting up for their recent Cat Show. In exchange for some help in the setting up of their show cages and tables, and then returning the following day to dismantle it all, the Cat Club will send us a donation for all our help. I would like to thank the members that attended to lend a hand, those members were John Bostrovas, Robert Harrod, Warren Williams, Peter Galea, Melissa Galea, Ashley Galea, Patrick Waite, Ron Lynn and his Grandson Conner, thanks everyone for all the hard effort you put in. Tarred and Feathered : Patrick Waite The Pet Directory Proudly supporting the NCSA. Find all your bird needs as well as avian bird vets, bird minders, bird articles, bird transport and more. Visit now! www.petdirectory.com.au

BREEDER S PAGE Lurnea NSW John 0401 456 197 Lurnea NSW Danielle 0416 511 747 Penrith NSW Dean 0411 578 996 Hassall Grove NSW Colin 0410 652 786 Colyton NSW Adam 0490 130 794 Mt. Warrigal NSW Enid 02 4296 5099 Armidale NSW Matt 0457 527 591 Moorebank NSW Brian 02 9822 8840 Wattle Grove NSW Patrick 0467 20 30 40 Orange NSW Tricia 02 6361 4872 Orange NSW Mick 02 6362 0030 Orange NSW Anthony 0432 882 838 Smithfield NSW Colin 0449 838 997 Grafton NSW Kim 0416 062 947 Kingswood NSW David 0412 815 129 Woongurral NSW Edward 0458 548 625 Glenhaven NSW Judit 0402 566 678 Use this Page to find other Breeder s in your area or List your name to let others know where you are. Contact Patrick Waite on 0467 20 30 40 Or email.. editor@cockatiel.org.au to have your name listed here 5

6 11 Cockatiel Care - what is the best cockatiel food? Cockatiel diet is extremely important and is the key to having a healthy cockatiel - along with exercise. Give your bird a good-quality cockatiel seed mix (not parrot mix). These are readily available at pet suppliers and supermarkets. Be aware though that most ready-mixed cockatiel seed contains far too many sunflower seeds and these are extremely fattening. For this reason I tend to make up my own mix for my cockatiels. I buy a 50/50 mix of budgie seed and plain canary seed and then add a few sunflower seeds. Do not buy the seed in bulk - you are best to purchase small fresh amounts. Alternatively, you can offer your cockatiel a pelleted diet. Your cockatiel's diet must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis - refer to the fruit and vegetables question below. Small amounts of 'people' food are fine for cockatiels occasionally. They can have a nibble on crackers, cereal such as cornflakes, hard-boiled egg and wholemeal bread. Also try rice, pasta, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato - these must be offered cooked, not raw. Cockatiels enjoy spray millet and seed treats such as honey bells or sticks. However, these are fattening and should be offered occasionally as treats only. Pet cockatiels can become overweight very easily so I recommend offering spray millet once a week if your cockatiel is fairly active, or if not, only once a fortnight. Seed treats are best given at two monthly intervals. Fresh drinking water is required daily. Also make available cuttlebone, and calcium, iodine and mineral blocks. Vitamin supplements in the drinking water once a week or fortnight are a good idea, although do not leave these in the water for long as bugs can grow very quickly. Some people prefer to sprinkle powdered vitamins onto the seed or moist food, eg apple pieces or spinach. Either way, be sure to follow the product's directions with regard to dosage amount and frequency.

7 Cockatiel Diet - are fruit and vegetables necessary? A cockatiel diet must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. An all seed diet often results in an unhealthy or overweight cockatiel. Try the following: Fruit: apple, grape, guava, kiwi fruit, mango, melon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pomegranate, plum, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon Vegetables: bok choy, broccoli, carrot (chopped or grated), celery, chard, lettuce (but small amounts of lettuce and not too often as not a lot of goodness), peas, silverbeet, spinach, sweet corn, watercress, zucchini. Favorites with cockatiels tend to be apple, egg, pasta, peas, rice, silverbeet, spinach, sweet corn. Note that the fruit and vegetables should be provided: thoroughly washed in small pieces at room temperature unpeeled free of cores, stones, pits or pips raw (some cockatiels prefer certain vegetables cooked eg peas and - sweet corn - use your judgment here) fresh (obviously this will be the most nutritious for your cockatiel but you can use frozen or canned) Be aware that your cockatiel's droppings may be runnier than usual with an intake of fruit and vegetables. Some cockatiels will not take to fruit and vegetables straight away. Persevere as it can take up to a year before your cockatiel will eat them. Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of your cockatiel's diet so offer them washed and fresh each day - do not give up!

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10 NOTICE PLEASE BE AWARE OF A NEW WEBSITE DEVOTED TO LOST & FOUND COCKATIELS: www.facebook.com/groups/cockatielslostandfoundnsw Run by Kirsten O Connor

11 RING prices CLOSED CLUB RINGS (NCSA-NUMBERED) $60.00 per 100 SPLIT RINGS (Assorted Colour s) $60.00 per 100 Postage & Handling $3.00 Minimum order quantity 10 Rings can be ordered from VAL NEWMAN Phone: (02) 9602-2242 5 Millimetre Sized Leg Rings Available Due to a Leg Ring order being misplaced we have 5.0 mm sized closed aluminum leg rings, (cockatiels wear 5.5mm). We have decided to offer these rings for sale at a greatly reduced price. They are aluminum closed engraved NCSA 15, (violet) coloured for the 2015 year and numbered. These rings I think would be suitable for : Bourke s, Neophemas, Turquoisine, Blue-winged, Elegant, Scarlet-chestedPeach Face, African Lovebird, Fig-Parrot, Little & Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Red-rumped, Hooded, Golden-shouldered I'm sure I may of missed some species, please do your research. If you are interested please let me know ASAP. They will be sold at a FURTHER REDUCED PRICE OF $25 for 100 including postage within Australia. This is a one off due to a misplaced order. If you breed any of these birds I urge you to order these rings ASAP.

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14 BUY, SWAP & SELL PHONE: Patrick 0467 20 30 40 EMAIL: editor@cockatiel.org.au * All ads must be placed by the 4th Tuesday of the month * Ads must be renewed every 3 months or they will be deleted Sell : Judit 0402 566 678 Cockatiels: 1 Mature Lutino Cock Split pearl & Pied Cockatiel. About 5 Years old. Can Pluck his offspring in the nest. $30 For Further Information Contact Judit on 0402 566 678 (Hills Area) (201507) Sell : Patrick 0467 20 30 40 Cockatiels: Pastelface Pastel Silvers (4) Cinnamon Pearl (1) Whiteface Cinnamon Pied (1) All 5-12 Months Old, All $70 Each For Further Information Contact Patrick on 0467 20 30 40 (Wattle Grove Area) (201507) NOTE: This section is for NCSA members to advertise (free of charge) any bird or bird related product for sale or swap or wanted. Please make use of this service. Contact Patrick on 0467 20 30 40 or email editor@cockatiel.org.au

The Native Cockatiel Society of Australia Inc. Club Shirt Order Form 15 We have organised club shirts to be made. They will be similar to the one in the photo but will be collared and have a blue side insert. Your name will appear on the opposite side to the logo. The back will appear as the above middle photograph. Please fill in the order form below and give to Peter or Melissa Galea or one of the committee. Payment must be included with your order. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- The Native Cockatiel Society of Australia Inc. Club Shirt Order Form NAME SIZES : MENS S M L XL 2XL 3XL 4XL 5XL 1/2 CHEST CM 53 55.5 58 60 63 65.5 68 70.5 WOMENS 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 1/2 BUST CM 43.5 46 48 51 53.5 56 58.5 61 63.5 CHILDS 4 6 8 10 12 14 1/2 CHEST CM 38.5 41 43.5 45 48 51 QUANTITY NAME AS IT IS TO APPEAR ON SHIRT AMOUNT INCLUDED @ $35 PER SHIRT

16 The Cinnamon Cockatiel The Cinnamon Cockatiel was first seen in the bush near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. By 1984 Jeanette Hickford obtained a split from these birds and had established the long awaited Cinnamon. The Cinnamon Cockatiel is a sex linked mutation and therefore only cocks can be split to this mutation. The Hen cannot be split to Cinnamon so any hen that contains Cinnamon must be visually Cinnamon. Cinnamon is caused by the alteration of melanin in the birds feathers. This in turn produces a light brown or tan colour. One must remember that there are varying tones of Cinnamon, some light and some dark. Newly hatched chicks can be easily identified in the nest. They have the most obvious plum coloured eyes that seem to darken slightly by the age of two weeks. A Cinnamon chicks feet and legs appear a pale beige colour with light brown toenails. Cocks and Hens are identical as youngsters, so the normal signs of whistling and the normal 'carrying on' of young males will help to determine the sex of the bird. When Cinnamons get a lot of sunshine, they loose the smooth Cinnamon colouration, and get a 'motley affect'. This motley affect will go away after the next moult.

17 According to the veterinarians with whom I have spoken, roughly 80% of the cockatiel babies that are sick, have some degree of yeast, a bacterial problem or both. These statistics are high, yet I have found that they can be dramatically reduced to almost non-existent. Having raised several thousand cockatiel babies since 1994, I have discovered several of the contributing causes of yeast infections within my flock and would like to share my observations and solutions for dealing with this problem that needlessly claims the lives of so many babies. Yeast is the #1 cause crop and digestive problems resulting in the death of baby cockatiels. Yeast has also been the primary reason for many breeders and hobbyists to get out of breeding cockatiels because it was hard to cope with the frustration and heartbreak of losing babies. I have no answers on why cockatiel chicks tend to be more prone than other species to yeast. Some speculation has been given as to the differences in size and shape of a cockatiels crop versus other species of chicks as being a contributing factor. But as a species cockatiel chicks are more susceptible to stress and changing conditions, such as: Management, diet, weather, pairing (bonded versus bondage), nestbox environment, etc. These stressors can result yeast as a primary problem, which is quickly followed with a secondary bacterial infection if yeast is not recognized and corrected. Once causes of stress to the chick are resolved, cockatiel chicks are very hardy and resistant to yeast and bacterial infections. What is yeast? You've heard the saying: 'It's in there.' That is the simple explanation. The following is an explanation to better understand that if it is already in the body why is it not harmful. I m using the word yeast, but many times you will also hear it referred to as a fungal infection, or candidia.

18 Yeast, like bacteria are on and inside all living animals. It is in us and around us. The body has learned to cope/adapt to it, and the immune system has built up a well armored defense system to what it is daily exposed to, internally and externally. Yeast is considered a normal environmental organism and normal inhabitant of the avian digestive tract. In most avian medical reference books yeast is listed under fungal diseases. The causative agent is Candida albicans, which is an opportunistic yeast that can cause a variety of problems associated with the avian digestive tract, crop in adults, and crop disorders with babies. In most instances a bird can live its entire life without the resident yeast causing a life threatening problem. When situations present a form of stress the system can respond with a lowered immune system or an upset of the normal bacterial flora, thus in turn can create an overgrowth of yeast. It is this 'overgrowth' of yeast that can quickly become life threatening as it overwhelms the good bacteria in the body. Once this happens it turns from a friendly (beneficial) organism to a pathogenic (harmful) organism, which can quickly become systemic (throughout the body) if not recognized and treated. In other words: what is normally good and beneficial can work against the bird when something triggers an upset/overgrowth. A vet can do either a gram stain or a culture to see if there is budding yeast in the droppings or crop. A gram stain can be done while in the vet s office and results are quickly available within a short period of time. Diagnosis and treatment can be started from this. A culture is a more intensive diagnostic, and is usually sent out to a lab. If you looked at the culture report you will be very surprised at the amount of bacteria listed in addition to yeast! What the vet determines from the report are the levels above normal for the specific species of bird being cultured. Most culture reports will also have another section that lists recommended medications that a bird is sensitive (effective) to and resistant (ineffective) to. You can ask for copies of culture reports. I've found culture reports are a very informative learning tool in studying the various bacteria found in the bird.

19 I've used the reports to research and study each organism to learn how to recognize the symptoms and how to properly correct or treat. I will also make notes on each individual report, such as: age, visible symptoms, effectiveness of treatments and results, and if it did not work, why. Many times our efforts and the vets prescribed treatments fail, simply because the problem was so far advanced it became systemic, meaning it has spread throughout the body/organs, via the bloodstream. In other words we recognized the symptoms too late. Too late is something that can be changed. Sadly, experience is the best teacher. Sometimes it takes several deaths before we learn to visibly detect a problem developing. Over the years I ve run the various courses of treating just the parents, to flock treating all the birds prior to setting them up, only to have yeast raise it s ugly head and cause problems and losses in the nest. In the mid 90 s it was common practice for vets to recommend flock treatments or entire clutch treatments when yeast problems occurred. In retrospect this was only a temporary solution to a continuing problem. In researching I had learned that yeast, like bacteria will develop a resistance with continual preventative or prophylactic treatments. When this happens the treatment/medication that would normally work is less effective, thus a stronger medication/treatment has to be used. Preventative treatments were only compounding the yeast dilemma, rather than resolving it. It was through observation that I learned that anything contributing to stress to the chick was the stimuli to induce a yeast overgrowth. Stress is anything that can directly or indirectly cause an internal change or a lowered immune response to the chick. Once I learned this I also noticed that yeast was specific per baby in the clutch rather than the entire clutch. It was also not communicable between clutch-mates. And it was also rare for the baby to directly contract yeast from the parents. Therefore only the chick with the problem needed to either be treated or the cause of the stress to the particular chick resolved. Reprinted Courtesy of http://www.justcockatiels.net/

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22 22 COCKATOOS O G Z H N C M S A H G D H S L O O Q K A A A U K N N E A U L T L T C I L L L C Y A K L H E A I W A S L L P A M G C A C H K A E L K O E H L P G A G N C C T E B N C R U B H N L N Y T O H R L A E O R Y I A B E H I C C O I B P C C S C G L O R M E O P A L H E R S I Q I L O R T C A T Y A L E O N W A O T O I K L E A L T S L A I T P P J H A M T B O T T G E K D H Y A W T T I Z N I E G P T E U L M G O A H C L L D M R N R S A N B O B W E A N I U T A C A C B Find the names of the Cockatoo s below in the puzzle above : BANKSIAN GANGGANG REDTAILBLACK BAUDINSCOCKATOO GLOSSYBLACK SULPHURCRESTED CACATUINAE GOLIATHCOCKATOO WEERO CALLOCEPHALON LTTLECORELLA WHITECOCKATOO CALYPTORHYNCHUS MAJORMITCHELL WHITETAILBLACK EOLOPHUS NYMPHICINAE GALAH PALM Solution will be in next month s edition.

23 Central West Bird Club Inc.. (Forbes) Annual Bird Sale Sat 8th August 2015 Major Sponsors Vetafarm & Pet Care Direct. Venue - Indoor Sports Center Sam Street Forbes (off Parkes Rd) Benching Friday - 4pm- 7pm Saturday 8am - 9.45am Sale: $2.00 Donation entry 10am - 2pm Seller Fees: All birds $1.00 per bird Limited res tables @ $10 per table Breakfast, BBQ & refreshments available Vetafarm, Petcare Direct, FTC Seeds, Thompsons Aviary Products, JP Custom Aviaries, Avian Vitality, Surgical sexing plus logs & Boxes & more. % of profits goes to local charities. Central West Bird Club is a non profit organization. Contact Secretary- Sharon Jones 0406512851

24 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION PAGE THE $40 MEMBERS DRAW FOR JUNE WAS NOT DRAWN (no meeting) * COME ALONG FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THE PRIZE OF $50 AT OUR JULY MEETING... ALL NAME CARDS GO IN THE HAT BUT THE WINNER MUST BE PRESENT AT THE MEETING OTHERWISE IT WILL JACKPOT BY $10 FOR THE FOLLOWING MONTH. * NO RAFFLE (no meeting) * YOU MUST BE A FINANCIAL MEMBER, BE IN ATTENDANCE AND HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD AT THE MEETING WITH YOU TO BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN * AT EACH MEETING YOU CAN PICK UP & LEAVE YOUR CARD WITH THE SECRETARY RON LYNN, WHO WILL BRING IT ALONG TO EACH MEETING. THE ONUS IS ON YOU TO BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD, IF YOU ELECT TO TAKE IT

25 NCSA CLUB SHOW S POINT SCORE Show points will be accumulated to the end of the year. The winner will receive the perpetual Cockatiel Challenge Trophy and Replica. Points are awarded as follows: 3 Points, 1st in Class 6 Points, Champion Cockatiel 2 Points, 2nd in Class 4 Points, Reserve Champion 1 Point, 3rd in Class Juvenile Non W/F Whiteface Cockatiel 9.2.15 13.4.15 10.8.15 12.10.15 Judit Prestidge: 37 18 Peter Galea: 11 17 Colin Levinge: - 10 John Bostrovas: 6 2 Rob Harrod: 3 4 Patrick Waite: 4 - Anthony Murray: - 1

26 THE NATIVE COCKATIEL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC. MEETINGS. DATE 2015 LOCATION 13th JULY : PIZZA AND BINGO NIGHT LANSVALE 10th AUGUST: WHITEFACE COCKATIEL TABLE SHOW EMU PLAINS 14th SEPTEMBER: TO BE ADVISED LANSVALE 12th OCTOBER : ALL COCKATIEL TABLE SHOW EMU PLAINS 9th NOVEMBER: AUCTION AND CENT SALE 14th DECEMBER: CHRISTMAS PARTY & AGM LANSVALE ST MARY S BAND CLUB

27 17 BULLECOURT AVENUE MILPERRA TELEPHONE : 02 9792 7344 FAX : 02 9792 3119 CONCEPT INTERIORS ARE MANUFACTURERS AND INSTALLERS OF CUSTOM MADE KITCHENS, LAUNDRIES, WARDROBES & VANITIES. MATERIALS CUT TO SIZE. MADE TO MEASURE. FREE QUOTATIONS EMAIL : harris@conceptgroup.com.au

PETFOOD AND WIRE SALES ABN 34 161 707 265 Personal Service & Every Day Low Prices UNIT 15/19-21 SETON ROAD MOOREBANK SYDNEY S BIRD & ANIMAL WIRE SPECIALIST AVIGRAIN SEED VELLA PRODUCE JM PRODUCE AVIONE PASSWELLS VETAFARM EUKANUBA IAMS REPTILE ONE SHEPS LORI COMPARE OUR PRICES FOR WIRE MESH IN ROLLS OR PANELS WE SELL QUALITY BRANDS OF FOOD & ACCESSORIES TO SUIT * BUDGIES,CANARIES,COCKATIELS & PARROTS * DOGS & CATS * POULTRY & GAME BIRDS * RABBITS & GUINEA PIGS * FERRETS, RATS & MICE * KOI CARP & GOLDFISH FLAKES * BIRD & SMALL ANIMAL CAGES * NEST BOXES, BREEDING & CARRY BOXES, * FOOD FOR TURTLES, SNAKES, LIZARDS * PIGEON, THOMASTOWN SEED, IMPORTED BELGIUM PRODUCTS, MEDICATIONS, SUPPLEMENTS, GRIT, POWDERS & ID RINGS * WE ARE CONSTANTLY EXPANDING OUR VARIETY OF PRODUCTS Phone Brian on (02) 9822 8840 TUESDAY TO FRIDAY 9AM TO 4.30PM