Goats Eat Christmas Trees in the Spring

In the summer our goats mostly eat leaves, but of course there haven’t been any proper leaves for five months.  Over the past few weeks I have cut down about fifteen christmas trees for them.  Although they munch needles and branches it’s mostly the bark they want —  I think they’re after the sap: it’s sticky and bitter (horrible bitter chewing gum, I’ve tried it) and it leaves them with black moustaches.  I do this every year, but I’d forgotten and only realised they needed some wood to chew on when I noticed that they’d been nibbling the paneling and wooden furniture in the goat house.