INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This is very important as water may not enough to get rid of any pesticides. For the best flavor, use the hibiscus sabdariffa variety. If you are simply drying the flowers for craft projects, they do not have to be pesticide-free. Pick the flowers off of the plant 1 by 1, and place them into a bowl or basket. Once the container is full, go through the flowers, and pull off the yellow stamens in the center. Leave the stems on the flower, as this will make them easier to dry. Plan on using 8 to 10 flowers for a single pot of tea. Fill a large, clean bowl with water. Working 1 flower at a time, dip the flowers into the water, swish it around, then lift it out and set it aside. The swishing will help dislodge anything caught between the petals and the green part. If the plant had insects on it, be sure to pry open the petals and the green part of the flowers once the flower is under the water. This can be an actual drying rack used for cooling off baked goods, or it can be a small, clean window screen. You can even use a crisper sheet that you use for making cookies. Weave thin wire over the flowers and under the holes on the drying rack. Keep the wire taut enough so that it keeps the flowers secure, but loose enough so that it doesn't crush the flowers. Keep the flowers at an angle under the wire, so that the wire goes between the petals. You can use any type of thin wire, such as jewelry wire or floral wire. You can even use twist ties from a pack of garbage bags. Keep doing this every day until the flowers dry completely. They will shrink and turn brittle. How long this takes depends on how dry or humid it is, as well as how sunny it is. Expect to wait at least 3 days. It is very important that you bring the flowers indoors for the evening, as any morning dew will reverse the drying process. Keep the flowers in the driest, sunniest spot in your garden, patio, or balcony. Check on the flowers once or twice daily until they dry. If you notice that the flowers are only drying on 1 side, rotate them. Place 8 to 10 dried hibiscus flowers into a tea pot. Add some flavoring if desired, then fill the pot with boiled water. Let the tea steep for 20 minutes, then strain it. Sweeten the tea with honey, if desired, then serve it hot or cold. For a warm, sweet flavor, add a pinch of cinnamon and a slice of prance peel. If you want something refreshing, try a mint leaf and a slice of orange peel. For a more tart flavor, add a squeeze of lime just before serving the tea. Grind the petals into a fine powder in a blender. Pour the petals through a fine, mesh sieve into a jar, to help break them up further. Close the jar, and use the powder as desired. You can now add the petals to homemade cosmetics, such as blush, lip gloss, and hair masks. You can also use a food processor, a coffee grinder, or a mortar and pestle to grind the flowers. You can add hibiscus to your cooking just like you would other edible flowers, such as roses and violets. For example, you can use the dried flowers to infuse meringues or simple sugar syrups. You can even use it in marinades, especially for lamb!

SUMMARY: Find a pesticide-free hibiscus if you are using it for food or cosmetics. Pick the flowers and remove the stamens. Dip the flowers in water to remove any dust and insects. Spread the flowers out on a drying rack. Secure the flowers with thin wire if it is windy. Leave the flowers outside in the sun, but bring them inside at night. Use 8 to 10 flowers to brew a pot of tea. Grind the flowers into a powder if you wish to use them for cosmetics. Use the hibiscus flower in your cooking for extra flavor and color.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Even though you want to stop your cockatiel's egg laying, you will need to know what do if and when she starts laying eggs. Egg laying can be very taxing on your cockatiel's body, so it will be important for her to be in the best nutritional state possible. One nutrient that she will need plenty of is calcium. Cuttlebone is an excellent source of calcium and can be found at your local pet store. She may also need a multivitamin to add more vitamins and minerals to her diet, especially if she primarily eats birdseed. If your cockatiel is on a pelleted diet, she may not need additional calcium supplementation. Over-supplementation is not good for your cockatiel. Consult with your avian veterinarian to determine what supplements your cockatiel may need to keep her healthy for laying eggs. Make sure that she also has access to plenty of fresh water. Because your cockatiel will be able to sense when she has finished laying her clutch of eggs, removing the eggs from the nesting site too soon will essentially take that sense away from her. She will continue to lay eggs until she feels like she has laid enough, which could lead to a serious calcium deficiency and other medical problems. It is recommended to wait for anywhere from eleven days to three weeks after she has finished laying her eggs to remove them from the nesting site. A female cockatiel, whether wild or captive, will typically abandon her eggs three weeks after she has finished laying them. Remove the eggs graduallyone at a time and every other dayuntil you have removed all of them. Removing them slowly will help her understand that the eggs are not fertile. Consult with your avian veterinarian on what to do with the eggs that you have removed. The look and feel of the eggs can serve as an indication of your cockatiel's overall health. For example, if the shell looks misshapen or feels soft and thin, your cockatiel may be suffering from a nutritional deficiency. Abnormal-looking shells could also indicate an infection in your cockatiel's reproductive tract. Because nutritional deficiencies and infections are serious medical conditions that require immediate treatment, take your cockatiel to your avian veterinarian if your bird's eggs are in bad shape. Eggs that are broken or cracked should be removed immediately, since they are more susceptible to bacterial growth. Replace these eggs with mock eggs so that your cockatiel does not sense that she has not laid enough eggs. There are a number of medical conditions that can result from excessive egg laying, all of which require veterinary treatment. One condition is egg binding, in which the egg becomes stuck in your cockatiel's reproductive tract and cannot be expelled from her body. If your cockatiel is showing signs of distress or struggle with laying her eggs, take her to your avian veterinarian for immediate treatment. Other signs of egg binding are difficulty breathing and blood coming from your cockatiel's vent (where the egg passes through). Excessive egg laying can also lead to your cockatiel's reproductive tract being pushed through her vent. This would also require immediate veterinary treatment. Your cockatiel could also develop hyperlipidemia, which means that too much fat is in her blood. This is caused by extra fat and protein being in her blood during egg development. Her blood could thicken if there is too much circulating fat, which could lead to a stroke. Your cockatiel may also have broken bones as a result of excessive egg laying, due to the loss of calcium.

SUMMARY:
Improve her diet. Do not remove the eggs right away. Examine the eggs. Monitor your cockatiel for illness.