The goats and sheep at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook will be munching away for months on hundreds of discarded Christmas trees, thanks to area residents.

On Saturday dozens of families donated their spent trees to the farm, part of a two-weekend drop-off.

Sheep and goats find fir tree needles and bark delicious and nutritious and they help the animals fight off parasites, said Hillary Knight, who is in charge of the drop-off.

Last year more than 600 trees were donated, enough to keep the farm’s 20 goats and 10 sheep in needles until the summer.

When the animals have stripped the trees of all the good parts, the trees go into the burn pile.

The farm is accepting donations of used Christmas trees this weekend and next.

It will be open again from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and on Jan. 5 and 6.


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