Experimental design
Eighteen Kiko-cross meat goats (Capra hircus; body weight (BW) = 31.0 ± 1.49 kg) were fed three different levels of CT-containing ground PB (Pinus taeda L.) to study the effects of CT in ground PB upon nutrient digestion and metabolism and upon animal performance. The study was conducted at the Caprine Research and Education Center, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL. Goat kids, approximately 5 month of age, were stratified by BW and randomly assigned to the experimental treatments in a completely randomized design with two different periods. In the 2nd period, new animals were randomly allocated to the experimental treatment with the same dietary treatments. A preliminary period of at least 30 days was allowed for the animals to adjust to each ration before 7 days of fecal collection periods.