DigestiveDigestive

Systems

A RUMINANT IS :A RUMINANT IS :• An animal with four

distinct compartments in its stomach, which swallows its food essentially unchewed, regurgitates it, chews it thoroughly and reswallows it.

Examples Include :Examples Include :

• Cattle

• Sheep

• Goats

• Deer

• Elk

44STOMACH COMPARTMENTSSTOMACH COMPARTMENTSRumen- pouch (80% of capacity)

Reticulum- honeycomb & Hardware stomach (5% of capacity)

Omasum-manyplies (7% of capacity)

Abomasum- true stomach (8% of capacity)

Digestive SystemDigestive System

• Small Intestine: long coiled tube connecting stomach to large intestine– rest of the digestion and absorption takes place

here– surface covered with villi (surface area)

• Large Intestine: Cecum, colon, rectum– absorbs water (makes feces more solid)– some vitamins & minerals absorbed here

RumenRumen• The largest compartment with a capacity of 40 to 60

gallons in mature cattle.

• Serves as a storage area for feed.

• Millions of bacteria and protozoa break down the feed in the rumen.

• A 1200 pound cow may have the capacity of 300 pounds of feed in their stomach

Gas

Today’s Hay Yesterday’s Feed

RumenRumen

ReticulumReticulum• AKA: “The hardware stomach”

• The reticulum furnishes additional storage space and holds foreign materials such as nails and wire which may cause serious damage to the other body organs if they pass through the system. Often a magnet is fed to ruminants to catch and hold this foreign material in the reticulum.

ReticulumReticulum

Bacteria:Bacteria:• Enable ruminants to digest large quantities

of roughage

• Multiply by feeding on material in the rumen

• Are digested later in the stomach and intestines

• The rumen does not develop in the young until they are weaned and begin

to eat solid feed

Omasum:Omasum:• A muscular section that squeezes

out the water from the feed before it enters the abomasum

OmasumOmasum

Abomasum:Abomasum:• Digestive juices cause chemical changes to break down the

proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into simpler substances.

• These simpler substances can now pass into the small intestine for further digestion and absorption into the blood stream.

• AKA: The TRUE STOMACH

Regurgitation:Regurgitation:• Ruminants chew their food just enough to

make swallowing possible

• After they are done eating, the food is brought back up from the rumen and rechewed

The EndThe End