Happy goats chow down on a donated Christmas tree at Starry Hill Farm in Monson. (Starry Hill Farm/Facebook.com)
GEORGETOWN (WBZ-AM) -- After human Christmas comes goat Christmas.
As any foodie will tell you, a meal should challenge the senses as well as the palate--and that's how goats feel about Christmas trees. As you take down your Christmas trees, some farms are asking you to donate them so that their goats can chow down.
Michelle Aulson is with Goats to Go in Georgetown, which offers goats for everything from clearing shrubbery to goat yoga and goat snuggling. She said the goats don't just like eating the trees--they enjoy playing on them, too.
"They'll probably climb right up on the tree for sure," Aulson said. "The one who's up on the top of the hay gets the best bite!"
They have strong stomachs, too, which is why they can chow down on pine needles, rich in fiber and vitamin C.
Christine Hood, owner of Starry Hill Farm in Monson, told WBZ NewsRadio's Ben Parker that munching on the trees gives the goats some needed variety in their diet. She said it's the third year in a row she's asked for trees for her goats.
"In the winter especially, there's not a lot for the goats to forage on, which, you know, they're foraging animals," Hood said. "It's pretty boring, there's not a lot of differences in their diet. The trees are excellent, because they give them something else to eat besides the grain and the hay, and actually the trees are a really good natural de-wormer, which is another added benefit."
Don't just dump your tree off at a farm, though--check if the place wants it first.
Trees can be dropped off at Goats to Go--located at Great Rock Farm at 201 Pond Street in Georgetown--tomorrow, Saturday the 29th, as well as next Saturday, January 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Remember--the tree needs to be fully de-tinseled.
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports