This article gives you a basic knowledge of what Ruminant Animals are, and the role they play in the livestock sector. Some common terminologies use in describing cattle, sheep and goats will be defined in order to give you a clear understanding of the course.

Ruminant Animals are animals having four compartment stomach namely, rumen, reticulum, amasum and abomasums. They are animals capable of ruminating or chewing curd.

Difference Between Ruminants and other Animals

Introduction to Ruminant Animals Production

Ruminant Animals are animals that have evolved over time to have specially adapted digestion tracts help them survive on coarse herbage. Most of the carbohydrate that is stored in plant material is the form that cannot be digested by simple stomach animals (mono-gastrics).

This is due to the presence of B-links which joined cellulose together. Ruminant animals on the other hand have micro-organisms (bacteria, protozoa and fungi) living in the rumen and reticulum. These micro organisms can breakdown the B-links to release energy in the form of valuates fatty acids (VFAs).

This is very close symbolic relationship from which both the microbes and ruminant animal benefit. The micro-organisms profit by being in a warm, controlled environment where they receive a constant supply of nourishment.

The animal gains by receiving the waste products from the micro-organisms, by receiving some food which has been predigested and by having a supply of both living and dead micro-organism in its digesta which are also a source of nutrients.

The four chambered stomach enable the ruminant have extra space. This acts as a series of vats which stores food and allow fermentation by the micro- organisms.

Examples of ruminants are: cattle, sheep, goats, illama and alpacas and buffalo. For the purpose of this course we will concern ourselves mainly with cattle, sheep and goats.

Role of Ruminant Animals in Agriculture

Ruminant occupy a very important place in the livestock sector.

Sources of meat of the 51 Million Heards of different classes of ruminant animals.

Contribute about 85% of the total national meat supply, while in Africa sheep and goat contribute about 14% of the total meat supply. In Nigeria for instance, the contribution of small ruminants (sheep and goats to the nations meat supply is much higher than this representing about 35% of the nation meat supply.

1. Sources of Milk: It is estimated that there are about 220 million diary cows in the world producing about 430 million tones of milk per year. Africa is said to produce about 10-30% of this amount, out of this amount 14% comes from sheep and goat. In some African countries sheep and goat milk is a major source of milk supply for consumption.

2. Hide and Skin: Apart from food supply, ruminants also provide hides and skin. Leather from ruminants in the past was a major source of foreign exchange.

The famous Moroccan leather is obtained from the skin of red Sokoto goat. Developing countries in Africa like Nigeria are not major producers of wool or hair.

Africa produces about 37,000 tones of greasy wool per year. This represents only about 1% of world population. Sheep skin are used for clothing in the highland area of Ethiopia and Nigeria.

3. Draught Power: Cattle is a very important source of farm power in Nigeria and in different part of the world. This is accessible to peasant farmers who can’t afford mechanized farm power.

It has greatly reduced dependence on mechanized farm power which is very costly. It has enhanced the volume of crop production in the area of use. Bullocks are the preferred type. Cattle are also use locally for transport.

4. Manure: Ruminants are well as other animals soil fertility. Farm manure which consists of animal faecal materials in used to fertilize farm lands. Manure from tethered sheep and goats is collected and spread in crop fields as fertilizer.

5. Social Functions: Ruminants are a source of prestige to farmers. It represents the position of the owner and the family in the society. Ruminant animals are seen as a measure of status of the owner in the society as mobile banks by nomads as insurance against crop failure by mixed farmers and as items of religious worship and marriages by various groups of traditionalists.

Common Terms Used In Ruminants Animal Production

1. Cattle

Bull:- A matured male bovine (cattle or buffalo).

Cow:- A matured female bovine that has given birth at least once.

Calf:- Young cattle buffalo of either sex.

Heifer:- A young female cattle that is yet to give birth.

It is closer to maturing than a female calf. Steer – A young male cattle that has been castrated before maturity.

Stag/Bullock – A male cattle that is castrated after maturity.

Veal – Meat from young cattle that has not been exposed to any other food except cow milk.

Beef:- Meat from cattle.

Parturition:- All giving birth (calving).

Hide:- Bovine skin.

2. Sheep

Ewe:- Female sheep which has lambed.

Ram:- Adult male sheep, usually used for breeding.

Lamb:- Young sheep usually under 9 months or before weaning.

Cull:- Ewe that us removed from the breeding flock because it is old, unproductive or unwanted.

Maiden Ewe:- Adult female sheep that has not been mated.

Ginmmer:- Female sheep aged 6 months (or from weaning ) to the first lambing.

Ewe Lamb:- Female lamb.

Ram Lamb:- Male lamb.

Hogg, Hogget:- Sheep aged 6 months to 2 years.

Weather:- Castrated male sheep, older than 6 months Mutton:- Meat from matured sheep.

3. Goat

Buck:- A matured male goat.

Doc:- A matured female goat.

Chevon:- Meat from goat.

Kidding:- Act of giving birth.

Mohair:- Hair obtained from a breed of goat.

Cashmere:- Fine sort hair obtained from cashmere goat.

Digestion in Ruminant Animals

Digestion is defined as the series of processes by which the mixture of complex materials found in food is broken down to small fragments that can be absorbed and used by the animal.

The gastro-intestinal tracts acts as a tube starting from the mouth and ending in the anus. In places the tube is widened to farm chambers.

There are also side chambers which can empty secretions into the main part of the gastro-intestinal tract. The wall of the tube in an important part of the mechanism, of digestion because all the materials the animal gets from its food is absorbed through it.

There are two types of digestion in the ruminants;

Microbial digestion occurs in the fore-gut (rumen, reticulum and omasum). The rumen and reticulum accounts for about 70% of the volume of the entire gastro-intestinal tract.

The rumen and reticulum is only separated by a fold in the wall without any specific orifice joining the two chambers because of this, these two chambers are often referred to as the reticula-rumen.

Food materials from the esophagus enters the rumen at the junction of the rumen and reticulum. As a result of these hard objects or foreign bodies such as stones, nails are collected.