Farms.com Home   Ag Industry News

Goats pre"fir" Christmas trees

Goats pre"fir" Christmas trees

Goats will eat old Christmas trees for digestive system health.

By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com, Photo by chris robert on Unsplash 

Now that holiday season has come and gone for most of us—comes the tiresome job of having to dispose of the ol’ Christmas tree.

But wait! Why not feed it to your goat? Goats, sheep, pigs and even chickens.

Feed’em if you got’em.  

As an intriguing way to upcycle and to provide a treat for your goat and other farm animals, the yule tree provides them with a tasty treat and digestive health with some fibre intake.

The old trees, with their drier falling needles provides a bit of acidity for the creatures—helps to clean out the system.

The goats, especially, will eat the needles, bark and twigs. Of course, the creatures won’t eat the entire tree, but with what’s left over—the wood—is used by some farmers to heat their barn. Waste not, want not.

 


Trending Video

Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves

Video: Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves



In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Laya Alves from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, discusses how animal welfare regulations are evolving globally and their impact on pig production systems. She explains challenges in group housing, pain management, and euthanasia decisions, while highlighting the role of training and management in improving outcomes and economic sustainability. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Translating welfare requirements into daily farm routines without compromising economic sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by producers globally today."

Meet the guest: Dr. Laya Alves / laya-kannan is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on animal welfare in pig production, including pain management, euthanasia, and economic decision making. Her work integrates welfare science with practical farm management and sustainability. She collaborates globally to develop applied tools for producers.