How many goats does it take to eat a Christmas tree?And more importantly, why would they want to?It turns out discarded Christmas trees offer the goats a special treat for after the holiday season.The animals feed off of the pine needles, bark and branches that are loaded with vitamins A and C."Pine needles are healthy for them, for their gut health, and also they're beneficial for their skin and hair around this time of year," said Brandon Gutierrez of Urban Growers Collective.With the holiday season at an end, those looking to recycle their natural Christmas trees can do so by feeding them to goats at Urban Growers Collective, a woman and Black-owned and led farm. Eating the pine needles helps maintain the goats’ gut health, and they push the tree trunks around with their horns for exercise.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times For the third year, the collective will collect Christmas trees to feed to their nine Nigerian pygmy goats at its South Chicago farm at 9001 S. Mackinaw Ave."This is a good way for the community to get rid of their Christmas trees, help the goats and also help us grow our food," Gutierrez said. Brandon Gutierrez, a grower in training, works in the enclosure so the goats can eat recycled Christmas trees at Urban Growers Collective’s South Chicago Farm at 9001 S. Mackinaw Ave. on the South Side.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times The farm grows an array of fruits, vegetables, herbs and other plants at eight farms across the city.But at its South Chicago location, the goats are "essential" to their growing process.The urban farm brought the animals on-site in 2017 to help with the composting process. The goats' manure is used as fertilizer to grow the produce. Related Ready to get rid of your Christmas tree? Try feeding it to a goat Goat pot pie at Lior’s Cafe a mix of traditional Haitian cuisine and ‘American fusion’ Goats will often feed on leftover produce and weeds in the warmer months, but in the winter, their main nutrition comes from hay.Beyond the vitamins in the needles, bark and branches the trees also keep the goats physically active, as they use the branches to scratch their coats and push the trunks around with their horns. Goats eat recycled Christmas trees at Urban Growers Collective’s South Chicago Farm on Monday. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times The tree donation program was created to offer an eco-friendly way to dispose of Christmas trees."So many Christmas trees end up in the garbage or in landfills," Gutierrez said. "Here we make sure to use all parts of the tree."What the goats don't eat will be used as firewood or mulch for compost piles, Gutierrez said.Residents who drop off their trees will also have an opportunity to step into the farm and pet the goats, he said. A goat enjoys a discarded Christmas tree at Urban Growers Collective on Monday.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Trees will be collected through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.More than 65 trees have been dropped off at the farm so far, but the organization hopes to collect enough to feed the goats through the winter.So how many goats does it take to eat a Christmas tree?"They eat about three a day, and I think we might have enough to last until next month," Gutierrez said. A goat chews a discarded Christmas tree at Urban Growers Collective’s South Chicago Farm on Monday.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times