195. Urea as a protein substitute in the diet of young cattle

Abstract

1. A 142-day feeding experiment with twenty-one dairy heifers aged 7–17 months is described. 2. The addition of 0·127 lb. per animal per day of urea to a diet supplying a limited amount of protein resulted in an extra daily live-weight increase of 0·24 lb. per day. This increase was statistically significant and the animals appear therefore to have utilized the urea nitrogen in their metabolism. 3. Animals receiving the same quantity of additional nitrogen in the form of protein showed slightly better live-weight gains than those receiving the urea; although the difference was not significant it seems probable that the protein was a more efficient nitrogen supplement than urea.