PROTOZOAL CONTRIBUTION TO NITROGEN DIGESTION IN SHEEP

Abstract

Compared with defaunated sheep, the large protozoal population of faunated sheep fed a diet high in poorly degradable protein decreased both microbial and dietary protein flows into the duodenum which indicated that protozoa increased ruminal protein degradability. Protozoal nitrogen represented 20% of the total microbial nitrogen in the duodenum. Key words: Protozoa, microbial proteins, sheep, protein degradability