Goats chow down on Christmas trees at Charlton farm

CHARLTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Many people will be taking down their Christmas decorations this week. Before you put your tree out on the curb, a local farm hopes you'll consider donating it to their animals to snack on.

"In winter, there's not a lot to eat, but Christmas trees are a wonderful treat for them," said Megan Miraglia, Founder and Executive Director of City Goat Farm. "They last a month or so, still green, and all of our sheep and goats love to eat them.”

Christmas trees are given a new purpose at City Goat Farm on Swaggertown Road. A recent donation from a local tree nursery is currently satisfying the group of goat’s craving for pine needles, but Miraglia said the animals are looking forward to munching on more, as donations come in from the community.

“It makes them so happy. All of our animals come from rescue situations, whether it was a farm that shut down, or people who decided to get farm animals as pets and decided that maybe that's not the right path for them," Megan explained, "so some of them have really been hungry in the past. Not all of them are used to people when they come to us, but by having visitors come and drop off trees, they know that people bring good things instead of pain, and they're so happy to meet people and get good snacks.”

While the goats find the green branches tasty, ingesting decorations or toxic chemicals is baaaaa-d for their health.

"No glitter, no sparkles," Miraglia said, "make sure it's clear of ornaments and any ornament hooks, and make sure there's no tinsel.”

If you have a tree that you'd like to donate, you're encouraged to visit City Goat Farm and meet the animals while you drop it off.