How do cattle use urea?
Cattle, sheep and other ruminants can use urea to replace part of the protein in their diet because of the host of microorganisms (bacteria and protozoa) present in their rumen. More than half of the protein consumed by cattle is broken down in the rumen into peptides, amino acids and ammonia by the action of enzymes manufactured by these microorganisms. Urea (NH2)2C = O is degraded to carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3) in the rumen by a similar process. In their multiplication and growth, rumen microorganisms use the ammonia released from the breakdown of protein and non-protein nitrogen compounds (urea, etc.) to manufacture microbial protein. The bacteria and protozoa produced in the rumen pass further down the digestive tract and are digested, making the proteins from their cells available to the host animal.
