Feeding Christmas Trees

[schmije]

Does anybody feed used Christmas trees to their herd? I am considering placing an online ad offering to dispose of local trees, but I'm concerned about chemicals that might have been sprayed on the trees. In the past we've given them our personal tree that we cut down from a local tree farm, but I don't know what might be different for tree lot trees and such. I'd like to give them something green this time of year, but I'm hesitant to give them a bunch of trees that I don't know the history of. Thoughts?

We have goats, llamas, and alpacas.

 

[chiques chicks]

Personally, I would not trust tree lot trees. Many are sprayed with chemicals, and I don't know which ones. Rather safe than sorry.

 

[Latestarter]

Have to agree... I wouldn't feed them to my animals.

 

[erschrack]

We live in rural nj and I've seen people post here and in nearby pa looking for christmas trees to feed to their animals. Most people get their trees from local farms here so the majority of the trees would be safe I think. Depends on your area I guess.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Not sure with the animals you have. We always give our old tree to the chickens, but it is cut from the Wyoming forest

 

[Devonviolet]

On Christmas Day, we gave our goats a 7 foot Cedar tree, from our woods. But, unless you know a tree came from a tree farm, and wasn't sprayed with chemicals, I (like the others) would hesitate to feed my animals a tree of unknown origin.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

@Devonviolet is right. We don't exactly have a herd going, I only have chickens and horses

 

[sadieml]

I also would be reluctant to give treelot trees to mine. Even the lot owners may not know about chemicals. Of course my picky boys won't eat cedar, but we're gonna keep trying. I've told them that everyone and everything says they're supposed to eat it, but they just "maaah" back at me and turn up their noses. Our tree is cedar, so they will get that soon. We love having it in the house, so we always wait for epiphany, sometimes Valentine's day! By then you have to sweep most of it up, though.

 

[erschrack]

Do chickens eat Christmas trees?? I wasn't aware!

 

[Latestarter]

I believe the reference was to feed them to their goats.