I've got a couple live christmas trees i want to plant. I'd like to put them in the back barn yard, but this will be the yard that might possibly have goats(more likely sheep) one day in the future. Will either of these 2 animals devour the needles of a pine tree?

Thanks

-- Buk (bukabuk@hotmail.com), January 06, 2002

Answers

"Devour" is an understatement. It'll be over in 10 minutes!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), January 06, 2002.

My goats ate the limbs off the pine trees I cut for firewood- needles, bark and all. I had to drag the fire wood to another locale. So, to answer- yep, dont plant them there if you are planning goats. Side note: oaks and cherry trees and maybe hemlock, due to the tannic acid in its bark (oaks during sometimes of year only) can kill goats- so neither of these trees should be near the area. You might try planting the pines on the other side of the fence!

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), January 06, 2002.

I dont know what it is about pine, but even my cows love it.

-- julie britt (jbritt@ceva.net), January 06, 2002.

Our sheep don't touch pine or spruce needles. My rams spend their summers in a spruce plantation and ever pasture is lined with pine or spruce wind breaks. No sooner stated than proven wrong though; We don't have any in our actual barn yards. I'd find a different place for the trees.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 06, 2002.

We sometimes let our sheep out to "mow" the front lawn. Everytree is fair game except the spruce. They don't touch it! I have caged everything else (cherries, figs etc) but the christmas tree we planted out two years ago has never been touched. I have no idea about goats.

We once read that it was good to graze your sheep in a mature apple orchard, supposedly they eat the wind falls and break the pest life cycle. Big mistake, sure they will eat the windfalls but what they really love (or at least mine did) was apple tree bark. They had plenty of grass or hay and I would still find them standing up on their hind legs chewing on our poor old trees. At our new house we have a small orchard and I can assure you it is securely fenced!!!!

Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), January 06, 2002.

So does all this mean that you can toss a cut pine from Christmas into the paddock and the goats will eat the parts safely? Is it healthy?

Iris

-- Iris (WatchingWideEyed@peaceful.com), January 06, 2002.

Ok I forget what it is called but there is a condition cattle get from eating pine needles............... it is NOT good.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 06, 2002.

I have sheep and goats. The goats love eating pine but the sheep leave them alone as long as they have other things to eat. The goats relish pine like candy.

-- Patricia Ramsey (WOOLSPIN@AOL.COM), January 06, 2002.

Just today, I went to a friend's house and picked up her two Christmas trees for my goats. They prefer trees that have not been dried out, but will nibble on them too. They seem to like some types more than others. I will feed out these trees and whatever else I can scrounge from friends, then later in the winter when I can cross- country ski, I'll go get fresh trees from the woods behind their paddock. This is how I supplement their diet in the winter. I also give them the cuttings from pruning my apple trees. I only give them apple prunings and Christmas trees that I know were never treated with any type of harmful chemicals. (You do need to be cautious about this with Christmas trees since some people treat them with fire retardants.)

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), January 06, 2002.

I still can't remember a name but feeding evergreens is supposed to cause abortions?

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 06, 2002.

Please do not feed pine trees to your goats unless you plan on sitting with them for days on end because of poisoning and eventually losing most of them anyways. Our vet was not very helpful during this situation.

-- (stephanie.wilkerson@experian.com), January 07, 2002.

I, too, have read not to give pine trees to goats, it may cause abortions. Yes, my goats drool over them, but I'd rather not take a chance.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), January 07, 2002.

I have fed our goats pine trees for years ( as in ten years or more) and never had a problem. BUT not every evergreen tree with needles is a pine tree! Yew trees are poisonous and there are others as well that should not be fed. We have fed the following with no trouble: Pine (all types), grand fir, balsam fir, red/ douglas fir. Not sure about spruce, we don't have a lot here. Also have fed the following deciduous trees extensively: alder, birch, willow, plum, poplar, some apple. DO NOT feed cherry- wild cherry, chokecherry, any kind of cherry.

But in answer to the question, do not plan the trees there unless you are intending them as a very brief snack. : )

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 07, 2002.