Ruminant Digestive System

In order, what are the three sections of the large intestine?

#1 Cecum #2 Colon #3 Rectum

In order, what are the three sections of the small intestine?

#1 Duodenum #2 Jejunum #3 Ileum

In order, what are the four compartments of a ruminant stomach?

#1 Rumen #2 Reticulum #3 Omasum #4 Abomasum

In order from largest to smallest, what are the four compartments of the ruminant stomach?

#1= Rumen (40 gallons) #2= Omasum (15 gallons) #3= Abomasum (7 gallons) #4= Reticulum (5 gallons)

The entire digestion process should take anywhere from ____ to ____ days.

1 to 3 days

During the mastication process, saliva is automatically secreted into the mouth. What are two purposes of saliva?

1) Saliva introduces digestive enzymes to the ingested feed materials and allows the chemical breakdown process to begin. 2) Saliva lubricates and softens ingested feed materials so that the materials can be easier swallowed.

Compared to sheep and goats, why are cattle so prone to swallowing foreign objects such as wire and nails?

1) Sheep and goats have shorter, narrower muzzles, which allow them to be more selective in what they eat. 2) As opposed to other animals, cows use their tongues to pull plants from the ground and/or pick up feed and then swallow it whole with little to no chewing. Often, this results in cows accidentally swallowing foreign materials.

What are the two main functions of the reticulum?

1) The main function of the reticulum is to collect smaller digested particles and move them into the omasum, while the larger particles are kept back in the rumen for further digestion. 2) Another function of the reticulum is to trap and collect heavy/dense objects that the animal consumes. such as wire, nails, and so forth.

What are the two main functions of the rumen?

1) The rumen acts as a fermentation chamber and allows rumen microbes to break down and ferment roughages and fibrous plant materials that are very hard to digest. 2) It acts as a storage or holding vat for feed.

List two reasons why Vitamin B12 is important to livestock.

1) helps prevent a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia that makes people tired and weak. 2) helps keep the body's nerve and blood cells healthy 3) helps make DNA

What purposes do the folds in the omasum serve?

1) increase the surface area and absorption of water and nutrients from feed that passes through 2) produces a grinding action on the feed and removes most of the water from the feed 3) work as a filtration system to only allow fine particles of digested feed and some fluid to pass on to the abomasum.

What are the four categories in which energy is used by livestock?

1. Maintenance 2. Growth 3. Lactation 4. Reproduction

How many gallons of saliva does a full size bovine typically produce each day?

10-20 gallons

How many hours a day does a cow spend grazing and ruminating?

A cow will spend 8 hours grazing and 8 hours chewing their cud or ruminating daily. There are only 8 hours a day where cattle are idling and neither grazing nor chewing their cud.

At birth, a calf's _____________ is the largest compartment of the stomach, making up more than 50 percent of the total stomach area.

Abomasum

In what stomach compartment, does a majority of the chemical breakdown of ingesta take place?

Abomasum

What stomach compartment is the only compartment lined with glands? These glands release hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes needed to breakdown feed materials.

Abomasum

What stomach compartment operates most similar to a non-ruminant stomach, such as that found in humans?

Abomasum

______ from the gallbladder is secreted into the first section of the small intestine, known as the duodenum, to aid in the breakdown and digestion of fats.

Bile

What are three different types of livestock that have a ruminant digestive system?

Cattle, Sheep, & Goats

In ruminants, the ______, also known as the blind pouch, has little function besides providing storage and serving as a transition between the two intestines.

Cecum

Located between the small and large intestines, there is a three-foot-long, blind pouch known as the ____. This pouch has little function besides providing storage and serving as a transition between the two intestines, however, it does aid in the continual breakdown of material.

Cecum

What helps to protect the wall or lining of the abomasum from acid damage?

Cells in the abomasum secrete mucous to protect the abomasal wall.

In the large intestine, the ________ absorbs remaining water and contains bacteria microbes that finish digestion and produce vitamins the animal needs to grow and remain healthy.

Colon

__________________ are feedstuffs that are high in energy. Some examples include corn, oats, wheat, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, etc.

Concentrates

A __________________ is a ball-like mass of feed that has been brought back up from the stomach to be rechewed.

Cud (or Bolus)

What is "hardware disease"?

During normal digestive tract contractions, these objects will penetrate the reticulum wall and make its way to the heart. When muscles contract, "hardware", such as a nail or piece of wire in the reticulum may pierce the stomach wall and gain access to the heart.

Saliva contains ____________ that are capable of breaking down fats and starches. In addition, they help buffer the pH levels in the rumen and reticulum compartments of the stomach.

Enzymes

The ___________ performs the swallowing action through waves of muscle contractions, moving feed from the mouth down to the stomach. It has a bidirectional function, meaning it can also move feed from the stomach back up to the mouth.

Esophagus

What is one of the common health issues involving the reticulum in ruminants? What does this health issue consist of? What can a cattle producer do in order to further prevent this issue from occurring in his/her herd?

Hardware Disease- It is usually caused by the ingestion of a sharp, metallic object. These pieces of metal settle in the reticulum and can irritate or penetrate the stomach lining and in serious cases pierce the heart. This health concern is most common in dairy cattle, but is occasionally seen in beef cattle. In order to better manage hardware disease, cattle producers can insert a magnet down the animal's esophagus and into the reticulum. This magnet collects all metal that the animal consumes and holds it in one place so that the pieces are less likely to pass further along the digestive tract or risk moving around and piercing the animal's heart.

What is the "reticular groove"? What purpose does it serve?

Immature ruminants, such as young calves from birth to about 2-3 months of age, are functionally nonruminants as their rumen is not yet developed. In young ruminants, there is a reticular groove, which is formed by muscular folds of the reticulum. The purpose of the reticular groove is to shunt milk directly to the omasum and then abomasum, bypassing the reticulorumen.

What function does the duodenum serve?

In the duodenum, digesta entering the small intestine mix with secretions from the pancreas and gallbladder. This process balances and elevates the pH in the intestine from 2.5 to between 7 and 8, ensuring the digestive enzymes work correctly.

What portion of a ruminant's digestive tract is responsible for absorbing the majority of nutrients?

Jejunum

Why Is It Important For Livestock Producers To Have An Understanding Of Livestock Digestive Systems?

Knowledge of the different types of digestive systems is critical in selecting the proper feeds for livestock. By understanding the chemical and physical changes that occur during the digestion process, livestock producers can better understand how to care for and feed ruminants more efficiently.

The ____ absorbs water from material passing through it and then eliminates the remaining undigested and unabsorbed materials as feces from the rectum.

Large Intestine

The first step in the digestion of complex feedstuffs is ___________________, which is otherwise known as chewing.

Mastication

The mechanical grinding of food into smaller pieces by teeth is known as _____________.

Mastication

In ruminants, the breakdown of ingested feed begins in the ___.

Mouth

The ____________ you provide your ruminant livestock can help to maintain an optimal rumen pH, which helps microbes flourish.

Nutrition or Diet

What stomach compartment is lined with large leaves or folds of tissue that resemble the pages of a book? The purpose of these folds is to absorb water and nutrients from feed that passes through after its second round of chewing.

Omasum

The rumen is lined with ___________, which increase surface area and result in greater nutrient absorption.

Papillae

The series of wave-like muscle contractions that moves food to different locations or processing stations along the digestive tract are known as ________________.

Peristalsis

The method or way in which food is delivered to the mouth is known as ___________. For example, humans and monkeys use their hands, elephants use their trunks, goats and sheep use their lips, cattle and dogs use their tongues, etc.

Prehension

What structure governs the passage of digested feed material from the abomasum to the small intestine?

Pyloric Valve

In the large intestine, the _______ collects unused food material that is to be removed from the body (basically serving as a "poop chute") and eliminates these unabsorbed feedstuffs from the animal's system in the form of feces from the anus.

Rectum

Ruminant animals eat feed rations that are mostly composed of __________________, which are feedstuffs that are high in fiber, low in energy, and typically only 50-65% digestible. Some examples include hay, grazed forages, and silage.

Roughages

Because the _________ makes up the largest area of the stomach and is the section that focuses on reducing feed to be passed through the digestive tract, it is crucial that it is properly developed and remains healthy.

Rumen

The compartment in a ewe's stomach that serves as the fermentation vat is known as the _____. (Fermentation is the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving bubbling and the giving off of heat.)

Rumen

Each compartment of the ruminant stomach has a nickname. List the nickname associated with each compartment.

Rumen= Known as the "Paunch" Reticulum= Known as the "Honeycomb" or "Hardware Stomach" Omasum= Known as the "Butcher's Bible" Abomasum= Known as the "True Stomach"

Define the term "ruminant".

Ruminants are animals that have a complex digestive system composed of four stomach compartments that allow them to better break down and use energy from fibrous plant material, such as hays and grasses.

In a mature cow, the _____ may be up to 150 feet long and has a 20-gallon capacity.

Small Intestine

Which stomach compartment has the most acidic pH? The Rumen or The Abomasum?

The abomasum's pH is approximately 3.0-4.0, while the rumen's pH is approximately 6.5 to 6.8. Therefore, the abomasum's pH is more acidic.

What function does the ileum serve?

The ileum absorbs vitamin B12, bile salts and any nutrients that passed through the jejunum.

What function does the jejunum serve?

The jejunum section is lined with numerous small, finger-like projections known as villi, which increase the intestinal surface area and aid in nutrient absorption

Compare and contrast the size difference between the small intestine and the large intestine.

The large intestine is smaller in length (only 35 feet long) but larger in diameter compared to the small intestine, which is 150 feet long.

Why is the abomasum referred to as the "true stomach"?

This particular stomach compartment is most similar to the stomach found in nonruminants, such as humans and pigs.

Immature ruminants, such as young, growing calves from birth to about _________ months of age, are functionally nonruminants.

Three

True or False: Because immature ruminants do not have a functional rumen, feeding recommendations differ for developing ruminants compared with adult ruminants.

True

True or False: Unlike monogastric animals, ruminant animals often swallow their food in large quantities with little chewing.

True

Lining the intestinal wall are small, finger-like projections known as _____, which increase the surface area of the intestine and increase nutrient absorption.

Villi

Why is the omasum referred to as the "butcher's bible"?

the many folds or leaves found in the omasum resemble the pages of a book

What is the main digestive function of the large intestine?

to absorb water from material passing through it and then excrete the remaining material as feces from the rectum.