A Pocket Guide To Ruminant Digestion

THE RUMINANT DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

“Ruminant can convert Roughes into useful products “

How to achieve this?

Due to Different compartments of digestive tract.

Reticulum
Rumen
Omasum
Abomasum

Reticulum

Flask-shaped compartment with a "honeycomb" appearance.
Causes the regurgitation of ingesta during rumination.

Rumen

It is a large fermentation chamber ( cattle :125 liters)
High population of micro-organisms, mainly bacteria, but also protozoa.
Rumen Lined with projection (1cm>) Called Rumen Papillae.
Absorption of Byproducts through Bacterial fermentation (VFAs).
Bacteria secrete the enzymes necessary for cellulose degradation that ruminants are able to utilize roughage.
Saliva is the major buffer for helping to maintain a rumen pH between 6.2 and 6.8 for optimum digestion of forages and feedstuffs.

Omasum

Contains numerous laminae that help grind ingesta.
The removal of fluid from the ingesta on their way to the abomasum.

Abomasum

It secretes the gastric juices which aid indigestion.
Have PH range of 2,0 to 2,5.low pH facilitates initial protein breakdown, and kills the bacteria which have spilled over from the rumen.

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MACRONUTRIENTS

Macronutrients are nutrients that provide calories or energy.

Nutrients are substances needed for growth, metabolism, and for other body functions.

Carbohydrate
Protein
Fat

Carbohydrate provides 4 calories per gram.
Protein provides 4 calories per gram.
Fat provides 9 calories per gram.

Importance of Carbohydrates

All of the tissues and cells in our body can use glucose for energy.
Carbohydrates are needed for the central nervous system, kidneys, brain, muscles to function properly.
Carbohydrates are important in intestinal health and waste elimination.
Carbohydrates found in starchy foods (like grain and potatoes), fruits, milk, and yogurt. Other foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and cottage cheese contain less amount carbohydrates.

Digestion and absorption of Carbohydrates

Primary Energy Source for Ruminants

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The volatile fatty acids are absorbed from the rumen into the blood stream and transported to body tissues. The cow derives 50 to 70 percent of its energy from the volatile fatty acids produced in the rumen.

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Microbial digestion of carbohydrate in rumen

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Importance of PROTEIN

Growth
Tissue repair
Immune function
Making essential hormones and enzymes
Protein is found in meats, poultry, fish, meat substitutes, cheese, milk, nuts, and legumes.

Digestion and absorption of Protien

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About 60% Protein fed to animal is degraded in rumen the remaining 40%escape to abomasums.

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Importance of Fat

Normal growth and development
Energy (fat is the most concentrated source of energy)
Absorbing certain vitamins ( like vitamins A, D, E, K, and carotenoids)
Providing cushioning for the organs

Saturated fat (found in foods like meat, butter, lard, and cream).

unsaturated fat (found in foods like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and canola oil)

Fat digestion.

Most of the digestion and absorption of fat occurs in the small intestine.
Rumen micro-organisms change unsaturated fatty acids to saturated acids through the addition of hydrogen molecules. Thus, more saturated fat is absorbed by cows than by simple-stomach animals.
Feeding large quantities of unsaturated fatty acids can be toxic to rumen bacteria, depress fiber digestion, and lower rumen pH.

Vitamin Digestion

The rumen micro-organisms manufacture all of the B vitamins and vitamin K.
Vitamin synthesis in the rumen is sufficient for growth and maintenance.
Niacin (B3) and thiamine (B1) may be needed under stress conditions.

Digestive Disorder

1) BLOAT

“Excessive accumulation of gas in the rumen”.

Frothy bloat (Pasture bloat)

The daily production of gas, principally carbon dioxide, and methane, is about 800 litres in adult cattle.
Some legumes (clover and lucerne, especially) have high bloat potentials
Much can be done to prevent bloat, e.g. roughage, especially dry hay, should be fed before, or during, the grazing of lush, immature legume pasture. This will reduce the risk of bloat occurring. The dry roughage stimulates salivation, and sufficient saliva will help prevent bloat

Frothy bloat occurs when the rate of foam formation is greater than the rate of foam breakdown, The foam persists, , causing an increase in the volume of ruminal digesta. so it difficult for the animal to clear digesta from the entrance of the oesophagus (the cardia).

Treatment of bloat

Genuine turpentine, at a rate of 1 ml/kg body mass, administered by mouth

Free gas bloat

Gases of rumen fermentation are trapped due to esophageal obstruction.

Treatment

Use of a trocar.

2) Acidosis

The production of short-chain fatty acids in the rumen is directly related to the various types, and number, of bacteria and protozoa that make up the rumen microbial population.
Some Bacteria Digest cellulose, hemicellulose or some digest starch only or some bacteria digest both.
When the ration is changed from predominantly roughage to a grain ration, the population shifts towards more starch-digesters. Starch-digesting bacteria produce more prop ionic acid .
A high grain-content ration will result in a rapid increase in rumen acidity, due to the rapid production of short-chain fatty acids.
The starch-digesting bacteria, Streptococcus ovis, increase rapidly, and 80 to 85% of the acid produced by this species is lactic acid. At the same time, the rumen pH falls considerably, to approximately 5, and lower, and there is a tremendous increase in histamine that could lead to laminitis.
Small quantities of lactic acid are normally efficiently converted to propionic acid, but when excessive quantities of lactic acid are produced they accumulate in the rumen, and eventually are absorbed via the rumen wall into the bloodstream.
Acidosis seems to appear more often during the summer months.
300 g of magnesium oxide powder use.