@article{snyder_luginbuhl_mueller_conrad_turner_2007, title={Intake, digestibility and nitrogen utilization of Robinia pseudoacacia foliage fed to growing goat wethers}, volume={71}, ISSN={0921-4488}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2006.06.006}, DOI={10.1016/j.smallrumres.2006.06.006}, abstractNote={Black locust (BL; Robinia pseudoacacia L.), a native tree of southeastern USA known to contain substantial levels of condensed tannins (CT), was fed to 32, 4 month old (20.4 kg BW) Boer cross wether goats in two randomized complete block design trials. The objectives were to examine the effects of feeding hay diets containing several levels of fresh BL foliage on intake, digestibility, and N metabolism. First year (1999) diets were HE (100% Eastern gamagrass [EGH; Tripsacum dactyloides L.] hay), HEG (70% EGH and a 30% mixture of 59% ground corn [GC; Zea mays L.], 36% soybean meal [SBM; Glycine max L.], and 5% minerals), 25BL99 (75% EGH and 25% BL leaves), and 50BL99 (50% EGH and 50% BL leaves). Second year (2000) diets were HO (100% orchardgrass [OGH; Dactylis glomerata L.] hay), HOG (70% OGH and a 30% mixture of 63% GC, 37% SBM, and 5% minerals), 50BL00 (50% OGH and 50% BL leaves), and 75BL00 (25% OGH and 75% BL leaves). In 1999, apparent digestibilities of the diets in the order listed above were 62.4, 68.2, 58.0, and 60.6% (P = 0.001) for DM and 62.8, 72.5, 56.0, and 59.1% (P = 0.001) for crude protein (CP). Acid detergent lignin digestibilities were negative for diets 25BL99 (−56.7%) and 50BL99 (−49.3%), apparently due to the formation of insoluble tannin and lignin complexes during passage through the digestive tract. Intakes of DM were similar across diets. In 2000, apparent digestibilities of diet DM (64.4, 71.7, 64.8 and 65.4%) and CP (70.0, 76.0, 66.6, and 66.5%) did not differ. Lignin digestibilities were positive for diets 50BL00 (9.4%) and 75BL00 (29.6%) unlike those for year 1999. Overall, BL contained 10% CT and 18–34% hydrolyzable tannins. In 1999, N intake, urinary N (UN) excretion and N retained were higher for diet HE G( P = 0.01) than diet HE whereas fecal N excretion (FN) was similar for diets HEG, 25BL99 and 50BL99. In 1999, FN excretion as a percentage of N intake was higher (P < 0.02) in the BL diets, although UN as a percentage of N intake did not differ among diets. In 2000, N intake and FN output were higher for BL diets compared to diets HO (P = 0.01) and HO G( P = 0.02). Fecal N as a percentage of N intake was lower (P = 0.01) for diet HOG (24.0%) than for diets 50BL00 (33.4%) and 75BL00 (33.5%). Conversely, urinary N as a percentage of N intake was higher for diets HO and HOG compared to the BL diets (P = 0.02). Increased levels of dietary BL increased FN, suggesting that tannins formed insoluble protein complexes thus hindering digestibility.}, number={1-3}, journal={Small Ruminant Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Snyder, L.J. Unruh and Luginbuhl, J-M. and Mueller, J.P. and Conrad, A.P. and Turner, K.E.}, year={2007}, month={Aug}, pages={179–193} }
 @article{luginbuhl_poore_conrad_2000, title={Effect of level of whole cottonseed on intake, digestibility, and performance of growing male goats fed hay-based diets}, volume={78}, DOI={10.2527/2000.7861677x}, abstractNote={Twenty-four purebred Boer (Capra hircus hircus) and 12 male kids of 1/2 Boer breeding (initial BW 21 +/- .5 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design to study the effects of increasing level of whole cottonseed (WCS) on ADG, serum urea N, plasma gossypol, live grades, and intake of DM, CP, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, ether extract, and free gossypol. A subgroup of 16 purebred goats was used to determine digestibility using a 5-d total fecal collection. Goats were blocked by BW and then assigned at random to one of four diets containing 0, 8, 16, or 24% WCS. All diets contained 71% chopped orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) hay and 29% concentrate; WCS replaced corn and soybean meal to maintain calculated TDN and CP concentrations at 68 and 15% of DM, respectively. Concentrations of NDF in diet DM were 52.4, 55.9, 59.3, and 62.1% with increasing WCS, and the Ca:P ratio was maintained at 2:0. Goats were given ad libitum access to feed and water. Over the 90-d performance phase, DMI (P < .05), CP intake (P < .02), and ADG (P < .01) decreased linearly with increasing WCS in the diet, whereas ether extract (EE) intake increased in a cubic fashion (P < .01). Gain:feed decreased linearly (P < .02) with increasing level of WCS. Addition of WCS resulted in linear decreases in apparent digestibility coefficients of DM (P < .02) and NDF (P < .05), a linear increase in total plasma gossypol (P < .01), and a quadratic increase in serum urea N (P < .04). Apparent digestibility of CP was not affected by WCS level. At the 16 and 24% WCS levels, EE constituted 4.2 and 4.8% of total DMI, respectively. Adding WCS to diets for growing goats had detrimental effects on animal performance, and, based on the possible negative effects of dietary EE and NDF rather than gossypol, economics should dictate whether to use WCS in feeding programs.}, number={6}, journal={Journal of Animal Science}, author={Luginbuhl, J. M. and Poore, M. H. and Conrad, A. P.}, year={2000}, pages={1677–1683} }
 @article{use of goats to manage vegetation in cattle pastures in the appalachian region of north carolina_2000, volume={16}, number={2000}, journal={Sheep & Goat Research Journal}, year={2000}, pages={124–135} }