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Goats recycle Christmas trees by eating them

If you're looking for a way to recycle your Christmas tree, some goats can help you out.
The trees make the goats' breath smell terrific, according to the barnyard manager.

WESTBROOK, Maine

(NEWS CENTER) -- If you're looking for a way to recycle your Christmas tree, some goats can help you out.

For the third year in a row, the goats at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook get a special treat this time of year -- Christmas trees! Hillary Knight, the barnyard manager at the farm, says the trees provide a sufficient source of Vitamin C for the sheep and goats. She compared it to humans eating mandarin oranges dipped in chocolate; it's a treat, but has its health benefits, too.

"We try to get them to clean them as much as possible, but they'll get two fresh ones every day," Knight said. "So every week we take away about 15 to 20 that they've eaten through."

So far, 200 trees have been donated. The farm's 30 sheep and goats only get two a day, so at this rate, they'll be eating trees until the middle of March!

To donate your tree, just swing by the farm and drop it off by the barnyard fence.

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