The present study was carried out to compare the effects of four isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets on the N utilization, total serum protein concentration and serum amino acid profile in starved rats at weaning. These diets differed only in the molecular form of two milk proteins (whey protein and casein), which were either native or partly hydrolysed. Male Wistar rats at weaning were fasted for 3 d and then refed with one of the four diets for 48 h. No differences were observed in the body weight gain, protein digestibility and total serum protein concentration between groups after the refeeding period and all the N balances were positive. N retention was higher in the two groups of rats given the protein-hydrolysate-based diets compared with those given the intact-protein-based diets. This was associated with a lower urinary N excretion in rats, given the whey-protein-hydrolysate and the casein-hydrolysate diets. Despite this fact, the serum amino acid pattern of rats given the hydrolysed protein diet was very similar to that of those given the corresponding native protein diet. In conclusion, we have proved that enzymic hydrolysates from milk proteins have equivalent effects to native proteins in recovery after starvation in rats at weaning, on N absorption, total serum protein concentration and serum amino acid profile, and even give a higher N retention. We did not observe any harmful effect in using protein hydrolysates instead of native proteins.