He asked for Christmas trees to feed his goats. But his picky goats rejected them.

It's not that Manny Ariza bit off more than he could chew. The problem is, Ariza, a Richfield man with a hobby farm, bit off something his goats didn't want to chew.

Earlier this month, Ariza put out a call to his neighbors on a Richfield Facebook group asking for discarded Christmas trees. He wanted to bring the trees to his farm in Northfield as food for his goats, and arranged to pick up several trees around the city. Neighbors went wild for the post and Ariza collected almost 20 trees in just a few days.

But when Ariza got the trees to the farm, the goats — a species so famously un-picky about their diets that they are sometimes used to mow down invasive plants like buckthorn — turned up their noses.

"Goats can eat literally anything," Ariza said. He has to be careful they don't chew on plastic, which they can't digest. But his work as a landscaper means a steady supply of leaves and branches that the goats are usually happy to eat. Ariza said the goats' previous owner recalled them eating spruce and pine with no problem.

But not these trees. For whatever reason, the goats rejected the piney bounty.

Ariza guessed it's because he has been feeding them more hay lately, so the goats' palates have become too refined to consider conifers.

Now, Ariza has over a dozen trees with no takers. He hopes he can use them to make a fence this summer.

So if your neighbor's goats won't eat last year's tree, what can you do with it?

Most cities have a Christmas tree pick-up service for residents. In Richfield, for instance, tree pick-up runs through Jan. 14 and costs $12.

Some goat farms are looking for Christmas trees, but it's best to call and ask.

Rochester goat owner Ann Maxfield keeps a herd that roams southeastern Minnesota mowing down invasive species. Her goats went gaga for the needles the years she collected Christmas trees.

"They just about trample each other trying to get to the trees," she said. But every goat is unique, she said.

"Different goats have different taste preferences," she said. "They really are all individuals."