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Einstein (BR in front) is getting her feathers back. The molt did get pretty bad. She’s actually a bit skinny under all that puffed up fluff! (Apologies for the cockerel on one leg 😂)
 
How about Rhododendron? It’s evergreen, has pretty flowers and you can keep it pruned at a specific height this limiting where it grows.

They like acidic soil so dumping wood shavings old bedding is great for them, FYI keep the rootball above would level, they do not like to be below soil. Their roots will wend their way through any old tree roots.

Where you are I bet it would grow well. It grows here but very slowly, mine is finally after many years at about 3’ high.

This is from an old poultry website about toxic plants for chickens/poultry so we never considered it for us. It would all depend on how curious a bird is to try nibbling on the leaves or how much they ingested whether it hurts the bird or not. We just decided to not plant. Some birds aren't curious while others will eat plants that aren't good for them.

Rhododendron spp. (AZALEAS,LAUREL, RHODODENDRON); leaves; cardiovascular system affected by the resinoidandromedotoxin.
 
I really like my Magnolia, yep the flowers are a pain, but they don’t last long.

My neighbour keeps her’s trimmed at about 5’ height more as a bush than a tree. Her cats like it!
There are lots of beautiful flowering trees... but in our suburb neighborhood, one neighbor's pretty tree can be a nuisance to other yards. Just 3 days ago my long-time neighbor was complaining about her next door's 20-yr-old avocado tree hanging over her fence into her yard. Trees are nice when they're short but when tall they cause a nuisance here with all our cottages having only 5 foot access between fences. For someone who might have a pool or hot tub, they don't like blowing wind carrying leaves & debris coming from their neighbor's trees.

On my folks' farm they had 27 acres to space out dozens of fruit trees that grew huge in addition to an approximate 4-acre commercial grove of lemon & lime trees. No farm neighbors to worry about trees, but a totally different story in a suburb/city/town neighborhood.

Now that our Pomegranate trees started losing leaves/shade for the hens, we have to prune them down so they don't bother the neighbor yards.
OUTDOOR PULLETS 8  07-21-2024.jpg

POMEGRANATE ANGEL RED  06-24-2025.jpg


The pink grapefruit & dwarf lemon need pruning too.
GRAPEFRUIT RIO RED 1 OVERGROWN  05-18-2025.jpg

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Actually that was in my dreams….

Reality sucks

Today received over 8” more snow which is now over my boots going to the barn.

I had to shovel a path to the manure pile to empty the wheelbarrow, heavy wet snow….

Then I had to haul the snow off the fabric covered sheds my mother insists on using, they shouldn’t even be sold here they are not rated for snow lid at all! Over a foot on them, I am surprised they didn’t collapse.

I also hauled to snow off the house roof over the doorway. Ice builds up there and I do not want a repeat of last years ice dam breaking my eves trough.

My niece will come out Friday to plow the house driveway and up to the barn. It’s calling for 30 to 50cm of snow overnight and a further 10 to 15cm tomorrow.

And to top it all off my water trough de-icer keeps blowing the fuse in the barn. It’s blown again (some of my barn cams are on the same circuit) but I am not walking out there. In the morning I’ll bring a 100’ power cable out and plug the de-icer into a different circuit line. Hopefully the water won’t be too frozen over.

To say I detest winter would be an extreme understatement. I am definitely looking at moving to Vancouver Island - must call Kris and tell her ‘make room I’m coming to visit’ hahaha.

Right now….. that’s my apple tree. View attachment 4264433

Weather whining tax
May 2025
Lush green grass and happy chooks
View attachment 4264434

My Magnolia tree
View attachment 4264435

Rabbits almost killed it back in 2013, we had a vicious winter brutally cold and 3’ of snow up that tree (yep it was a tree then. The rabbits ate the bark all around the trunk and killed the tree. But it sent out these suckers from the base and grew onto this bush.
I didn’t know suckers were that Harty to grow that way. :eek:
View attachment 4264443
Einstein (BR in front) is getting her feathers back. The molt did get pretty bad. She’s actually a bit skinny under all that puffed up fluff! (Apologies for the cockerel on one leg 😂)
It’s only the one leg rule at my ranch, (Cluckingham Court) anyone else’s birds can stand as they please. :old
 
This is from an old poultry website about toxic plants for chickens/poultry so we never considered it for us. It would all depend on how curious a bird is to try nibbling on the leaves or how much they ingested whether it hurts the bird or not. We just decided to not plant. Some birds aren't curious while others will eat plants that aren't good for them.

Rhododendron spp. (AZALEAS,LAUREL, RHODODENDRON); leaves; cardiovascular system affected by the resinoidandromedotoxin.
You shouldn’t have to worry, because you have NO chickens (only feather dusters) I might incorrect.
 

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