Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

I HATE GREENBRIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miss @Baymule, I was thinking of you as I pulled them down from the trees...

Sounds like alot of work @Senile_Texas_Aggie . Good for you both. It is really nice that the two of you seem to enjoy working together on those projects. And yes, PLEASE be careful.....

Yes, we do enjoy making our place look nicer. It is slow going but the effort is worth it. And I will be as careful as my Senile Texas Aggie I/Q will let me...

This morning I started work on building a bridge. My plan is to assemble it all here at the shop and then carry it down to the ditch using the tractor. My assembly plan is to have 3 railroad cross ties running lengthwise along the direction of travel and 2 cross ties, 1 at each end. On top, running from side to side I plan to have pressure treated 2x4s. I plan to notch the cross ties so that I can bolt them together. I managed to get the 2 end cross ties notched. You talk about work! I had to sharpen the chainsaw 3 times to get the cutting done! That took all morning. Next will be notching the 3 cross ties that will run lengthwise. Have any of you cut cross ties before with a chainsaw? Did you know they were that hard? I certainly did not.

Also, do you think that 2x4s will be strong enough to support a tractor? I am hoping that they will. With the cross tie in the middle, I am hoping that the stress on them won't be too great. I guess I will find out the first time I drive across it!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE !!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving backatcha!

 

[AmberLops]

Happy Thanksgiving!
Sounds like you've been super busy! All your hard work pays off and you're making a big difference in your land!

 

[Bruce]

I HATE GREENBRIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Geez, now you tell us. Guess I will have to send your Christmas present back.

Also, do you think that 2x4s will be strong enough to support a tractor

Depends on the span.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

I finally got all of the cross ties notched and the frame assembled:

At the time I took the picture, I did not have the pressure treated lumber. I decided to use 2x6x8 instead of 2x4x8. I hope the tractor is able to pick up the bridge once the cross pieces are on it. I'll probably just lay the 2x6s on the frame and try to pick it up. That way, if I am unable to pick it up, I will not have marred the pressure treated wood. But then, it will be back to the drawing board on building a bridge that my tractor can pick up AND that will support the weight of the tractor when I drive over it.

Mr @Mike CHS, Miss @Baymule, Miss @farmerjan, Miss @Ridgetop, Miss @RollingAcres, Miss @B&B Happy goats, and all other folks on this forum who have or are considering getting farm animals, primarily ruminants -- I saw a YouTube video today on the channel Red Tool House where the husband told about how black cherry leaves are toxic and can be fatal to farm animals if enough is ingested. You folks probably knew that but I certainly didn't. Here is the video in case you are interested:

I hope everyone is doing well.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Mike CHS]

I was aware of that but it's one of those things that is not harmful if they ingest very little of them. I have cut down a bunch of them and I was able to get several out with the front end loader. Our sheep don't like the leaves and none of the cherry trees at our place are inside the paddocks so what they do get exposed to is blown in. I'm sure if they were hungry enough they would eat more but we don't let that happen.

For your bridge, do you have a clear enough area to drag your bridge to where it needs to go. I had slab rocks that were 5-6" thick and 5-8 feet in diameter that I couldn't lift up but I was able to push or drag all of them to where they still rest.

 

[farmerjan]

Wild cherry tree leaves are only toxic when they are wilting. A cow can eat them while they are green, growing and after they have dried up, with very little problems. It is something to do with the wilting that makes them so toxic. We have tried over the years to eliminate most/all the wild cherries in any of the pastures we own, and try to convince the owners of places we rent to cut them down in winter. The bark is more bitter I guess because they seldom will bother the down trees if there are no leaves on them. I think that the leaves are more toxic when young too, but anytime they are wilted they are cause to be VERY concerning.
Thanks for looking out for all of us livestock people, @Senile_Texas_Aggie , sometimes it is easy to get so busy and forget some of the simple things.

 

[Baymule]

My sheep will eat green peach leaves, which when wilted, are toxic. All stone fruits leaves, when wilted, are toxic to livestock.

Cyanogenetic Plants (glucosides, glycosides)

Skip to Cyanogenetic Plants (glucosides, glycosides)​

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These contain under certain conditions, prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid), a deadly poison that interferes with the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood. Death in these cases is usually rapid and with little outward symptoms. Members of the prunus family of plants, especially wild cherries, are dangerous. Peaches, plums, wild cherry, and other stone fruits belong to this group of plants. Wilting of the green leaves caused by frost, storm damage, or by cutting, changes a glucoside (glycoside) found in the leaves to hydrocyanic acid (HCN) and sugar. The sweet, wilted leaves are thus more attractive to animals than normal foliage. Hydrocyanic acid content varies widely, but under some conditions a few handfuls of leaves may be enough to kill a horse or cow. This type of poisoning should be suspected when sudden death of animals follows windstorms or early sharp frosts. These leaves apparently lose their poison after they have become dry; the limp, green or partially yellowed leaves are the most dangerous.

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These trees do not have to be directly growing in the paddocks where the animals graze. Small branches and leaves broken off and blown by winds during a tornado, a hurricane or a strong storm can land in a pasture, wilt and become very dangerous to livestock ingesting them.

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Sudan grass and sorghums are also cyanogenetic plants. These plants are usually deadly when damaged or frozen. Aftermath sprouts following an early frost are particularly dangerous. Very little sudan grass poisoning occurs from animals trampling down plants and later eating them although this is often listed as dangerous. In dry weather, sudan grass is often pastured to the ground without ill effects. After sudan grass has been repeatedly frozen and the plants are completely dead, it is safe but not very valuable for pasture.

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Once frozen, sorghum, sorghum sudan hybrids, or their aftermath should never be pastured. As long as the plants show any green color they may be very poisonous. Both frosted sorghum and sudan grass can be best and most safely utilized by ensiling them for at least two weeks before feeding. Normal ensilage fermentation safely eliminates the poisonous principle.

Poisonous Plants to Livestock | NC State Extension Publications

A guide to many of the plants, shrubs, and flowers that are poisonous to animals.

content.ces.ncsu.edu

 

[rachels.haven]

Yikes, thanks for the warnings. I didn't know about the grass. We have giant choke cherries and some wild european cherry weed trees here, and at least the smaller ones will be going down as soon as I can cut them. Some are too big (but DH says they look like trees from night mares, so they might be coming out next time we have extra funds). They also don't do that great at 30-40+ foot size and are slowly (some not so slowly) self destructing. It's fun to watch in a arborly-grotesque way. Only the european cherries are healthy enough to fruit.