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KidsCorner - Ruminant Digestion

RUMINANT DIGESTION; HOW GOATS, SHEEP, COWS AND BISON GET THE MOST OUT OF WHAT THEY EAT!

Ruminants like goats, sheep, cows and bison have a very special way of digesting their food. Because the food they eat, such as grass, leaves, and hay isn’t very nutritious, they have to get the most out of what they eat. Ruminants are unable to digest plant material directly, because they lack enzymes to break down cellulose in the cell walls. But they manage to live solely on plant material whose nutrients are found in the cellulose. They do this with a very special digestive system.

Unlike other mammals who have one stomach…ruminants have four!!
Ruminants need to be able to take in large amounts of food in order to survive. When a ruminant eats something, it is chewed and swallowed and passes into the rumen, or first stomach. This stomach begins the digestion process, using microorganisms to help in breaking down the food so that the animal can get the nutrients from it. Ruminants can store large amounts of food in their rumens. When the ruminant has finished eating, he will usually go lay down to further digest his food. The next step is called “rumination.” The food that is stored in the rumen is passed in small amounts into the second stomach or reticulum. The reticulum is labeled as number 2 in the diagram below. From the reticulum the small packets of food are passed back into the mouth so that it can be broken down more. This is often referred to as “chewing the cud.” Chewing the food again, allows the ruminant to get as much nutrition as possible from its food.

The re-chewed food is then swallowed and it passes into the third stomach or omassum which is labeled as number 3 on the diagram above. The food in the omassum is broken down into even smaller pieces by powerful muscles.. After spending some time in the omassum, the food passes to the fourth stomach or abomassum which is labeled as number 4 in the diagram above. The abomassum is most similar to your own stomach. Here the food is broken down by strong digestive enzymes, particularly one called lysozyme. The food then travels through the intestines where water is removed from the food and nutrients are absorbed. The water that is absorbed is filtered through the kidneys and passed from the body. What remains passes out of the body as waste.

Ruminants have developed a very clever and complex method for getting the most out of their food. Their digestive systems are as unique and special as they are different from ours.