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Animals chowing down on Christmas trees at Aussakita Acres Farm.
Aussakita Acres Farm / contributed
After the holidays, Christmas trees go to the goats — and the llamas, sheep and emus — as farms across Connecticut accept donated Christmas trees to feed their animals.
"The animals honestly really enjoy eating the Christmas trees, half the time I can't get the tree into the pasture without them grabbing a hold of it," Aussakita Acres Farm owner Tracy Longoria said. "The trees are actually super beneficial to them because they are very nutritious, there is a ton of Vitamin C in those. The goats will literally pull all the needles off the trees and strip the bark down to raw wood."
The animals also enjoy playing with the trees, according to The Farm at Carter Hill owner Hazel Lichatc. "They bounce them around, they toss them. It's also good for their teeth," she said.
The remains of the donated trees at Aussakita Acres Farm in Manchester are burned in a bonfire and the ashes are used as fertilizer for the field. The donated trees must be whole and the farm will not accept individual branches, wreaths or those adorned with ornaments.
DC Forever Farm has received an overflow of donations and can no longer accept anymore, according to owner Nancy Butler.
“We have gotten all the tree donations the goats can possibly eat," Butler said.
Here are some CT farms accepting tree donations:
Animals chowing down on Christmas trees at Aussakita Acres Farm.
This is the sixth year that Aussakita Acres Farm is collecting trees; they originally took their own Christmas tree to provide shelter for wild birds, before they noticed that goats enjoyed chowing down on it. The farm expects to see over 300 Christmas tree donations this year, according to Longoria.
Guests can drop off their trees at the tree pile by the white barn on the farm. The farm also asks guests to keep their dogs in their cars so they don't disturb the farm dogs.
"People start to contact me even two weeks before Christmas ends," Longoria said. "People don't just get a place to put their trees; it's the destination. People can come, wrap their tree in a pile, they can walk the farm and enjoy all the animals that we have."
The Farm at Carter Hill is inviting individuals to drop off their Christmas trees at the front gate.
The farm has large outdoor pastures with goats, sheep, ducks and chickens, according to its Facebook page.
Cold Spring Farm is collecting tree donations to help feed the animals on the farm. Visitors can discard their trees near the farm stand.
The farm raises hens, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, ducks and peacocks, according to its Facebook page.