Hungry goats ready and waiting for your old Christmas tree - no we're not kidding
Instead of tossing your Christmas tree to the curb after the holidays, consider extending the season of giving by recycling it to a local farm to help feed sheep, goats and chickens.
"We have been doing this for a few years," Alyssa Belanger, owner of Slightly Off Course Farm in Ashburnham said. "Now once the goats see the trees coming in, it's like they do a happy dance. They love this time of year because they like to forage and there is nothing around this time of year."
Several local farms are accepting tree donations to feed their goats, with a few simple stipulations. The trees must be freshly cut and untreated, meaning the tree hasn't been sprayed with any chemicals, preservatives or paints. Donated trees should still be alive — not dried out — and of course be free of tinsel and other ornaments.
“When they’re out living in the wild, (goats) do eat the evergreens,” Christie Miller, owner of Hidden Hill Family Farm in North Brookfield, said.
The trees provide something for goats to graze on, especially during the winter. The donations also help keep winter feeding costs down for local farmers.
Miller said the trees give goats lots of fiber and vitamins they would not get elsewhere.
The pine needles contain nutrients, antioxidants and vitamin C, while the sap can act as a natural dewormer. The goats will eat everything on the tree including the bark, which they strip from the trees.
Goats are not the only animals that benefit from the donations. Turkeys and chickens will roost in the pines while donkeys enjoy scratching against the bark.
Miller said after animals like goats and alpacas get a taste of evergreen trees, they “look like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.” All the pine needles and branches are gone.
“The alpaca will chew on it a little bit, but they will eat the needles right off of it,” Miller said. “You’re left with pretty much sticks and twigs.”
The trees not devoured by hungry animals will be chipped and used in gardens as mulch or composted and used as soil.
Hames & Axle Farm in Ashburnham has been raising Nigerian dwarf goats for the last quarter century and loves to feed them "with Christmas cheer!"
Like other farms, Hames & Axle will take your untreated trees, but they'll also accept sprayed or treated trees as they'll be used around the farm.
"If people bought their trees at a chain store, such as Home Depot or Walmart, they are probably sprayed," Patricia Stewart of Hames & Axle said. "We will accept them but use them to build up our garden beds as we work to create a more permaculture farm."
Evergreen Grove is part of the Carl E. Dahl House in Gardner, which is a "'"co-occurring enhanced recovery home for adult males struggling with substance abuse and mental health." The organization is operated by the nonprofit GAAMHA and provides services including R.O.O.T.S., an outpatient program for young people struggling with substance abuse and/or mental health.
"All services are provided at no cost to the people enrolled in our program," said Shawn Hayden, vice president. "Donated trees help reduce our feed costs to care for many of our rescued livestock animals who live on our farm sanctuary after experiencing abandonment, abuse or neglect."
This year, Evergreen Grove began selling trees for the first time, giving more than 500 customers the option to bring their tree back to the farm.
Here are farms around Central Massachusetts that accept tree donations for their animals:
Camp Marshall - Worcester County 4-H Center
Carl E. Dahl House in Gardner - Trees can be dropped off just outside the main gate at 827 Green St., Gardner
Hames & Axle Farm in Ashburnham
Hidden Hill Family Farm in North Brookfield
Slightly Off Course Farm in Ashburnham
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Local farms accept Christmas trees as food for animals
