fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[1muttsfan]

Wow that quince is lovely. I hear the fruit is delicious too.

We are supposed to get down to 17 degrees tonight and tomorrow night. I had one lonely crocus bloom between the end of the ice storm last week and the 5" snow we got last night. Winter is not over yet!

 

[fuzzi]

Wow that quince is lovely. I hear the fruit is delicious too.

We are supposed to get down to 17 degrees tonight and tomorrow night. I had one lonely crocus bloom between the end of the ice storm last week and the 5" snow we got last night. Winter is not over yet!

Enjoy:

Both clematis are blooming.

Summer squash is up!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Wow that quince is lovely. I hear the fruit is delicious too.

We are supposed to get down to 17 degrees tonight and tomorrow night. I had one lonely crocus bloom between the end of the ice storm last week and the 5" snow we got last night. Winter is not over yet!

It is beautiful, but this is not fruit bearing, it's a Flowering Quince.

My understanding is the Fruit Quince grows like an Apple or Pear tree and the fruits are similar in size. I've never seen or tasted Quince fruit but have heard it is delicious as well.
It would probably grow here; a lot of Apples are produced here in my area.

Don't like that 17! It's turned windy and cooler here, temps will drop in the next few days, but not to 17 I hope

 

[fuzzi]

Did some coop work once I got home

The left side HWC was a pain, just didn't want to cooperate. I had to cut out a small section to get it flat, then I had to patch it. I used scraps of HWC and zip-ties.

It's attached to the door frame with screws and fender washers. The small section I had to cut is now sandwiched between two scraps of HWC. After I finished I used my fingers as if I were a raccoon, or a snake, and it appears pretty secure. The HWC is taut, too, which prevents a raccoon from twisting and bending the wire until it snaps.

Then I added an inside handle, and tethers for the carabiners.

 

[Shadrach]

It is beautiful, but this is not fruit bearing, it's a Flowering Quince.

My understanding is the Fruit Quince grows like an Apple or Pear tree and the fruits are similar in size. I've never seen or tasted Quince fruit but have heard it is delicious as well.
It would probably grow here; a lot of Apples are produced here in my area.

Don't like that 17! It's turned windy and cooler here, temps will drop in the next few days, but not to 17 I hope

We have what was until a couple of months ago a rather neglected quince tree at the field. Most years the fruit gets bugs before the fruit ripens properly but I got a few good ones last year.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We have what was until a couple of months ago a rather neglected quince tree at the field. Most years the fruit gets bugs before the fruit ripens properly but I got a few good ones last year.

Nice! You'll have to take some photos of the fruit.

@fuzzi the coop looks really good! It's ready for the flock soon I hope

 

[fuzzi]

Nice! You'll have to take some photos of the fruit.

@fuzzi the coop looks really good! It's ready for the flock soon I hope

Thank you. It's close, very close. What remains is mostly just securing, which is tedious, but necessary...as we all know. The apron needs to be completed on door and back sides, add a roof, and then complete with inside stuff like a ramp/ladder and the nesting boxes.

As I said, very close.

@Shadrach I would also like to see pictures of the quince, other plants around the field. Feel free to post some here.

 

[fuzzi]

Saturday

After doing gardening that needed my immediate attention I worked more on the hoop coop.

The right side of the door was a lot easier to secure, the HWC didn't fight me as the left did.

A little gap was remedied with a scrap of HWC and three screws/washers.

To make the front apron I cut one of the remnant rolls of HWC in half, approximately 2' x 10'.

I attached the HWC to the wood frame with screws and fender washers. Where the HWC pieces overlapped I removed the screws and attached everything together.

(sorry about the picture quality, it was after dark when I took these)

I noticed a small gap on the hinge side of the door.

Not big enough for a furry predator, but a small snake might be able to slither through.

I added some HWC scraps to the back of the door frame. Since the door opens outward it would be more difficult to add HWC to the outside.

Front is done!


Next is the back apron, the roof, a few little odds and ends...and then it will BE DONE!

And then Silas will get his own harem, and I can let Zacchaeus make his own pretty chicks.

 

[fuzzi]

Gardening on Saturday

Collards transplanted

Tomatoes are in front, growing nicely. I added marigolds and dill. Summer squash is in the back. I replanted the zucchini that didn't germinate (Baker Creek) with Black Beauty zucchini.

The green plastic chicken fencing is brittle after one season, and I am trying to keep the cats out of the newly planted beds. I couldn't find anything but 4' fencing, hate to cut it, so I used a length of row cover as a temporary barrier. Then I did my second sowing of beans.

Next, I prepared a place for the elderberry plant I was given.

Root-bound!

Grow free!

Facing west. In the the back the red Folger's coffee can is where I will plant a second elderberry. The two cardboard boxes will be my melon planters.

Facing south. Green fencing is around the blueberry bushes, raised beds are on the right, coops are in the back right.

Getting there!

 

[1muttsfan]

I admire your industriousness, everything is really coming together well