DawnMM Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Which trees can I use for perches? Let's see I have pine trees, pear, peach, plum, apple, oak, and willow available in my backyard. During our drought we lost quite a few pine trees, oaks and our peach. plum and apple tree. I was thinking that I could use these to make perches and maybe a playstand or two, but need to know if these are safe. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Dawn, Here are the links that I have: http://www.birdsafe.com/woods.htm http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml http://www.avianweb.com/toxicfoods.html (near the bottom) You'll notice that the lists are NOT in perfect agreement about some woods. Some people seem to frown on pear, peach, plum & apple (which is a shame because I have a bunch of callery pears...). It seems that oak and pine are okay if you take off the bark (and avoid pine sap). I've used hibiscus, magnolia & sycamore to make perches. It is best to bake the perches in the oven to kill any bacteria or fungus. If you can't do that (how big is your kiln?) you can use a mild bleach solution, but be sure to rinse VERY WELL and then let it dry completely in some of that warm Texas sun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 Thank you Doug. I was getting a lot of contradicting information too and was hoping that it would be cleared up here. I would really like to put these poor dead trees to use. My poor hubby planted over 100 pines, and all but 10 or so died...from drought, from rubbing antlers, from dog pee, you name it. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Pines just make for sticky birds until they are very dry. Magnolia and Crape Myrtle are both very safe even with leaves and blossoms, no seeds please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I like the look of the crepe myrtle branches, but I can't find any growing in the wild and I am too shy to drive up to a random person's house and ask them if I can cut off a few branches from their crepe myrtle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 No worries on the pines....they are dead and dry. I just hope not brittle. I'll go out and get a few branches to make absolutely sure. We don't have any other trees. We have red cedar, but that is dangerous. Grr. I've asked my hubby if we have any hibiscus, magnolia or sycamore around here, but of course we don't. Sigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) Here you go, took a while for me to find it in my archives.. Thanks Jayd Bad wood ALDER - red alder -see Alder Buckthorn paragraph ANDROMEDA -Pieris, Lily of the Valley shrub APRICOT ARROWHEAD VINE AUSTRALIAN FLAME TREE AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE AVACADO AZALEA - Related to Rhododendron BANEBERRY - Actaea BEANS -castor, horse, fava, broad, glory, scarlet runner BLACK LOCUST - Robinia BOX ELDER BOXWOOD - Buxus BUCKTHORN - Cascara / Alder Buckthorn - see chapter BRACKEN FERN BURDOCK CACAO CAMEL BUSH - Trichodesma CANARY BIRD BUSH - Crotalaria CANNABIS CASTOR BEAN CEDAR - Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus CHALICE - trumpet vine CHERRY see comments below CHINA BERRY TREE - Melia / Texas umbrella tree CHINESE MAGNOLIA - uncertain for safety CHINESE POPCORN / TALLOW CHINESE SNAKE TREE - Laquer plant COMMON SAGE CORIANDER - Cilantro DATURA DAPHNE - it's the berries DATURA STRAMONIUM - Brugmansia - angel's trumpet DIEFFENBACHIA ELDERBERRY EUONYMUS - Includes burning bush and more EUPHORBIA FELT PLANT - Kalancho baharensis FLAME TREE FIRETHORN - Pyracantha FLAME TREE - Brachychiton / Sterculia FOXGLOVE - Digitalis (pharmaceutical source) GOLDEN CHAIN TREE - Laburnum GROUND CHERRY CROWN OF THORNS HEATHS HEMLOCK - Tsuga HOLLY - Ilex HONEY LOCUST - Gleditsia HORSE CHESTNUT - Aesculus HUCKLEBERRY - leaves bad: evergreen & deciduous HYDRANGEA JASMINE JUNIPER - Juniperus KALMIA: also called Mountain Laurel KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE LANTANA - red sage LAUREL - Prunus LEUCOTHOE LUPINE MANGO - (fruit okay: not wood or leaves) MEXICAN BREADFRUIT MOCK ORANGE - Philadelphus MONSTERA - big hunker of a house plant MOUNTAIN LAUREL - Kalmia latifolia MYRTLE - broadleaf evergreen, not crape myrtle NECTARINE NUTMEG OAK - Quercus - all parts / tannins MISTLETOE OLEANDER PEACH PEAR - some sources lean toward safe PENCILTREE PITCH PINE PLUM PRARIE OAK - safety uncertain PRIVET RAIN TREE RED MAPLE - see Maple paragraph RED SAGE - Lantana REDWOOD - Sequiadendron, Metasequoia, Sequoia RHODODENDRON RHUBARB SAND BOX TREE - sap was used to poison fish SOLANUM - Jerusalem cherry or pepino SOPHORA - includes Japanese pagoda tree SUMAC - not all sumacs are bad: see paragraphs TOBACCO TANSY TOMATO UMBRELLA TREE WALNUT WEEPING FIG - Ficus benjamina > Ficus elastica safe WHITE CEDAR - China WITCH HAZEL - Hamamelis WISTERIA YEW - Taxus Safe wood ACACIA - Silk Tree would be in this group APPLE - (Insecticide residue likely cause for periodic issues) AILANTHUS - Tree of Heaven ALDER - white alder - (See paragraph about Alder / Buckthorn) ALMOND ARALIA - Fatsia japonica ASH - Fraxinus ASPEN - Populus BAMBOO BARBERRY- Berberis BIRCH - see paragraph BEECH - Fagus BOIS D'ARC - horse apple tree BOTTLE BRUSH BUTTERFLY BUSH CAMELLIA CITRUS - (lime, kumquat, grapefruit, orange, lemon) CORK - (not wood from cork oak, but cork) CORN PLANTS COTTONWOOD - Populus CRABAPPLE - Malus CRAPE MYRTLE - (not the same as myrtle) DATE DOGWOOD - Cornus DOUGLAS FIR - Pseudotsuga DRACAENA ELM - Ulmus ESCALLONIA EUCALYPTUS FIG FIR - genus Abies GINKGO GRAPE VINES GRAPE PALM GUAVA HACKBERRY HAWTHORN - Crataegus HIBISCUS HICKORY IRONWOOD - apparently toxic leaves JADE PLANT KALANCHOE LARCH - Larix LILAC - Syringa MADRONA / MADRONE - Arbutus MAGNOLIA MAPLE - Acer - MANZANITA - Arctostaphylos MESQUITE - remove sharp parts MIMOSA MOUNTAIN ASH - Sorbus MULBERRY - Morus NANDINA -common name is heavenly bamboo NORFOLK ISLAND PINE - Araucaria NUT TREES - exclude chestnut ORANGE - several sources lean toward safe OREGON GRAPE - Mahonia PALM PAPAYA PEAR PECAN PINE - Pinus: see Pine paragraph below PHOTINIA see Photinia paragraph below POPLAR - Populus PUSSY WILLOW - Salix RAPHIOLEPSIS - Indian Hawthorn RIBBONWOOD ROSE - Rosa RUBBER PLANT - Ficus elastica - Weeping Fig in bad column RUSSIAN OLIVE SASSAFRAS SILK TREE SPIRAEA SPRUCE - Picea STAGHORN SUMAC - see Sumac paragraph STRAWBERRY TREE - Arbutus like Madrone SWEET GUM SYCAMORE THURLOW TREE FERN VIBURNUM VINE MAPLE - Acer WEEPING WILLOW - Salix - see Willow paragraph WIEGELA YUCCA Edited April 12, 2012 by Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 Thank you Jayd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 We have a pecan tree growing in the front yard...it didn't die thank goodness in the drought. My hubby planted it in memorandum for his dad. So when it matures I can get some branches from that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Thank you all for such greatly detailed information. But one more question, what woods are safe to use WITH the bark on, I know my birds would love to chew it off and I want to allow them that opportunity when I start adding wood to their cages, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Thank you all for such greatly detailed information. But one more question, what woods are safe to use WITH the bark on, I know my birds would love to chew it off and I want to allow them that opportunity when I start adding wood to their cages, etc. The only safe bark I can find so far is "Cork Oak" yet the flower and leaves are poison... Thanks Jayd http://www.crcamp.com/birds/woods.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 As I'm sure your all aware of, any would not be harvested near a street or city road nor anywhere near where crop-dusting has been done. The same goes for back yard, where pesticides a bug spray has been used, fallen wood could have been urinated or defecated on. Use it but be vigilant...Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amali Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 DawnMM - I'm just down the road in Thorndale So living in this area, I know you can find Mesquite just about anywhere. That's what I use for Amali's perches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 DawnMM - I'm just down the road in Thorndale So living in this area, I know you can find Mesquite just about anywhere. That's what I use for Amali's perches. Your lucky, you can spray Mesquite with Vinegar and leave it in the sun...Thanks Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Very true and thank you. It is such an ingrained habit with me that I forgot to add that. Personally I'm not a fan of fallen branches. I get fresh cuts of apple twigs from a co-worker who doesn't fertilize or spray. Thank you, your a good Parront!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Unfortunately I haven't been a parront for about 12 years. I am a grandparront though and will hopefully be reaching parront status before winter starts. No, your diffenantly a good "Parront", 12 years or not..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Amali...I haven't seen a mesquite anywhere on our property! Maybe I'll just go up to Thorndale! Nice to see someone so close. Lots of cedar, oak, pines. I'll make my hubby go look through the thick stuff! LOL I'll make sure I get branches from the middle/top. No pesticides here or fertilizer here. If we did fertilize our hay field would be full of hay instead of weeds! LOL Sigh, so much work, not enough knowledge or machinery! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Just drive around on heavy trash pick up day people often trim and leave them on the curb, do wash well with vinegar and water then Sun dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 LOL, we don't do that here! Most branches that are trimmed are put into a brush pile or burnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amali Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Dawn, Mesquite is such a nuisance around here that most any farmer would gladly let you come cut some off their place even if you don't have it. We didn't have any on our place either, but I work in Rockdale with people who let me cut some of theirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnMM Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Perfect! Thanks Amali! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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