# Pine branches



## zubbycat (Oct 14, 2012)

I thought I had read on here that it is safe for gays to eat pine branches. Is that true? I have a few cut off our Christmas tree that I wanted to give them as a treat.


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## Maggie (Nov 5, 2010)

Yes, our goats love them. I have heard its a good natural dewormer as well.


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## pdpo222 (Jun 26, 2011)

My buck won't touch them. Haven't tried the girls yet. Alot love them. My theory is try it .....lol


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## Serenity Woods (Apr 2, 2012)

Our gals love pine needles. BUT... I would be very cautious about giving them Christmas tree limbs. Many growers spray heavily with pesticides since the tree will be going into homes.


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## Jodi_berg (Oct 29, 2012)

I know my goats love them, and I'm sure they are safe for people of all sexual orientations :laugh:


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Insecticides and SPRAY PAINT!! A good customer has a C. tree farm, about a week before he starts cutting he'll fire up a spray rig and PAINT them that beautiful green color!

Bob


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## animalfamily (Nov 23, 2012)

...who'da thunk it?? It figures. As for the au natural pine needles my goats love them. In the winter when the snow is on, we cut some branches off our pine trees and give them as a treat. It's like desert to them.


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## Maggie (Nov 5, 2010)

I never even thought about the insectisides on the christmas trees, thank you for bringing that up!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I was also told by a seasoned milker...that pine needles balance the PH in the goats making their milk taste better..so if your milk has an off flavor..throw some pine needles in the pen and drink happy : )


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## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

My goats love pine, and will even chew all the bark off the branches I give them. They also love balsam fir, spruce and cedar. And they have such nice breath after eating them!


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## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

Jodi_berg....good one!


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Oh they like cedar? Good! I have a bunch of white cedar trees at my house.


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## LJH (Aug 27, 2012)

Mine wouldn't touch the pinon or ponderosa pine this summer, but now they're pruning away. So far not interested in the cedar or juniper greens but nibbling on the juniper berries.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I am surrounded by pine tree's... blue spruce and white pine and where I go to get my Christmas tree each year, I know the tree farmer personally and know that he does not use pesticides, when I get my tree, my goats end up with a few tops and branches from Fir, Spruce and White pine.....then after Christmas, he usually has a few left that didn't sell so instead of chipping them for mulch he calls me 
I share with a goat buddy who has 4x as many goats as I have


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## Bambi (Jun 10, 2012)

Our goats love Pine tree branches also. When we use to milk the pine did seem to make the milk taste better.


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## WillowGem (Aug 3, 2011)

My guys LOVE pine needles and branches.
And it does give them nice breath, that's a plus when we're snuggling and they burp in my face...LOL!!


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## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

So this thread, and one saying to use pine needles on the floor of the goat house, has made me change my plans. I was going to cut all the evergreens down on my property and just have deciduous trees, in hopes of attracting more squirrel and deer. After reading, I'm going keep a small patch or grove. I'm still going to cut down the HUGE ones. Better to use the wood from those.

Erik_L sent this from his iPhone using GoatSpot. Pretty cool, huh?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Pine wood isn't as good for burning -- we have a woodstove and the pine doesn't burn as well, smokes quite a bit, and will coat the chimney with resin.


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## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

You may want to think twice about attracting more deer. We have a lot on our property, and they are beautiful, but they can carry the menengial worm, which is very dangerous to livestock, and I am constantly worried about it. A friend of mine who lives just 4 miles away has lost several goats and sheep to this parasite, and nearly lost a few more recently, but with aggressive treatment has saved them. We've both now acquired flocks of ducks who will eat the snails that are a host to this parasite in hopes of keeping the risk down. Deer also carry other internal and external parasites that get passed to livestock. They also make it impossible to have gardens--just like goats, they will eat just about everything! Sorry to be a downer......


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## zubbycat (Oct 14, 2012)

I gave the goaties their pine branches this morning and they loved them! It was so funny watching them wave the branches around at each other. Lol.


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## pdpo222 (Jun 26, 2011)

I'm beginning to think my goats are weird. I read a post where the lady said when her garden was done, she pulled the plants and her goats love them. Mine wouldn't touch them. They don't eat pine needles. Another lady said hers loved cattails would go out in the water til it was up to their bellies to get them...mine said nope sorry not touching it. They won't eat anything I see other goats eat. They eat browse, hay, alfalfa pellets and their goat feed. They also like the horse treats I buy and break in smaller pieces for them. Mine won't eat corn chips. But they like saltines...sometimes. They like maple leaves when they can reach them. One will eat baby aspen seedlings, the other no way. lol I just wish they would eat different things like other goats. Oh well, I still love them...
Oh we picked up the other four and they are all snug in the barn. The avatar is them. The two smallest carmels are mom and daughter. The bigger carmel is same mother, but he is a wether. The pygora is a wether also. So glad that job is done. lol


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Picky goaties! :laugh: My doe Busy Bee and her daughter "Noodles" are both picky.


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## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

I went out and cut my own tree out of the forest and of course the part I pruned went to the goats and they loved it. No worries of what it's been sprayed with (one would hope)...

LOL now when I first read this I was laughing so hard.... I was wondering how many gays you had in a pen? :laugh:


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## Jodi_berg (Oct 29, 2012)

WillowGem said:


> My guys LOVE pine needles and branches.
> And it does give them nice breath, that's a plus when we're snuggling and they burp in my face...LOL!!


Oh my gosh,this fall I let the goats clean out the garden,minus the tomato plants, and they loved the green onions,every night at cuddle time it was onion burps in my face every 5 min


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

I give mine pine branches and madrone. They are fans of both. I've heard both rumors about pine...that its a natural de-wormer and that it makes milk taste better. I've never had issues with my milk being anything but tasty, so I'm not sure how the pine affects it.


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## reggieandmaya (Aug 15, 2012)

I was wondering if it is safe to give a pregnant doe pine needles and branches, I have read conflicting things on the internet wbout this. What do yall think and have you guys given your does pine while pregnant?

I'm sorry I was just wondering, I hope this isn't hijacking!


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## zubbycat (Oct 14, 2012)

reggieandmaya said:


> I was wondering if it is safe to give a pregnant doe pine needles and branches, I have read conflicting things on the internet wbout this. What do yall think and have you guys given your does pine while pregnant?
> 
> I'm sorry I was just wondering, I hope this isn't hijacking!


I don't think it's hijacking! It's all related, lol.


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## reggieandmaya (Aug 15, 2012)

Thank you zubbycat!


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## 8566 (Jul 18, 2012)

pine needle abortion- Pine needles from the Ponderosa Pine ( Pinus ponderosa) contains an anti-estrogenic compound. Ingestion of the needles results in abortion during the last trimester. Cows develop an addiction in favor of the pine needles over good feed. A high protein diet increases the risk of abortion. Abortion is characterized by a hemorrhagic condition of the placenta and fetus. Incomplete dilation of the cervix, retained placenta and metritis are common. Prevention requires physically isolating the cows from the pine needles to decrease losses. Pine needles are dangerous whether fresh, dry, fallen, on the tree, etc. The pine needles do not cause abortion in sheep but may increase the rate of dead lambs at parturition.


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## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

I wonder if other species of pine are the same, or if it is just the ponderosa pine that has these negative qualities?


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## 8566 (Jul 18, 2012)

I've only heard about Ponderosa Pines with cattle.
But I'm not taking any chances and don't feed pine/evergreen to any pregos.

HTH,


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## S+S Homestead (Jul 23, 2012)

From my research it is only ponderosa pine that is poisonous. Ponderosa pines grow in western North America, so those of us in the east and central US don't really have worry about it. We are in North Carolina and have tons of pines on our property, so we give our goats pine branches 2 or 3 times a week. The goats love them and they act as a natural dewormer. We have never had any problems with giving pine to pregnant goats.


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