Eight Holstein cows weighing 419-673㎏ with 2 to 10 years of age were allocated into two groups, four animals each, to study the effect of feeding urea and urea plus Zeolite on rumen pH and the population of rumen ciliates. Rumen fluid samples were taken after morning feed for 7 times at one hour intervals. Experimental results obtained were as follows;
1. Rumen pH was gradually dropped from 7.272 to 7.163 by 3.01 hour and from 7.18 to 7.07 by 2.87 hour and reached 7.352 and 7.29 at 7 hour after feeding, respectively on urea and urea plus Zeolite feeding group.
2. Total ciliate numbers decreased from 209,540 to 113,755 by 4.311 hour and from 381,430 to 203.125 by 4.406 hour and gradually increased to 151,030 and 265,230 by 7 hour after feeding, respectively on urea and urea plus Zeolite feeding group.
3. Population of ruminal ciliates was not changed and Entodinium simplex was the major ciliate population for both treatments. It was from 81.21 to 89.12% on urea feeding group and from 84.6 to 88.3% of total number of ciliates on urea plus Zeolite feeding group.
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