Can you help me??

[Graham]

I brought up two kids at Yew Tree Cottage. Actually five trees. Not sure if they ever ate any berries but my springers loved them.

 

Gave up worrying about it because the seeds passed straight through.

[skyhuck]

Isn't it bad luck to cut down a yew?

 

On the lethality of yew, I know farmers who are terrified of it.. They are convinced that the smallest leave/needle will wipe out their cows and sheep.. and have seen it happen...! I'm not convinced...

 

I've been meaning to look it up for ages, found this:

YEW

 

Contains an alkaloid, taxine, and a heteroside, taxicatoside. Toxicity is maximal in winter and is not reduced by drying. Cut branches that are a few weeks old are more toxic than when fresh.

 

Oral doses in g fresh plant material per kg/ body weight:

LD cattle 1-10

horses 0.5-2

pigs 3

sheep, goats 10-12

dogs 8

rabbits 20

 

So if an cow weighs 400kg it would need 0.4 - 4kgs to kill it! Whereas a horse the same size only 0.2kgs.. I guess it's not a lot for a hungry animal to eat!

 

 

Thats REALLY interesting, I had a theory that the cut stuff was worse than live.

 

I have seen fenced of Yew's that are clearly being grazed, presumably the tree does not produce enough growth within reach fast enough to prove fatal.

 

But I know of 2 cows killed (autopsy's was performed to prove cause of death) by Yew hedge clippings thrown into the field by the home owner.