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Why Do Animals Ruminate?
Rumination is a special method used in the digestive process of some herbivores. In this process, animals first send the food they eat to the stomach. However, due to the lack of enzymes necessary for digestion, the food cannot yet be fully digested. For this reason, animals bring the food they swallowed back to their mouths and ensure it is crushed by chewing again. Therefore, this chewing process allows the nutrients to be broken down into smaller pieces and facilitates digestion. Additionally, the saliva secreted during rumination contributes to the digestive process and helps nutrients be digested more effectively. As a result; this function is an adaptation of the digestive systems of animals with herbivorous feeding habits and ensures these animals feed healthily and complete their digestion. For this reason, monitoring rumination in animals is quite important.
Which Animals Ruminate?
Ruminant animals have bacteria and protozoa in their digestive systems that have enzymes specifically for breaking down cellulose. Therefore, these animals usually feed on grass and chew the food they swallowed by bringing it back from their stomach to their mouth during the digestive process.
- Cows
- sheep
- goats
- deer
- antelopes
- camels
- buffaloes
These and many other animal species like them complete their digestion through the process of rumination.
What Are the Factors Affecting Rumination?
This feature is an important part of the animals' digestive systems and many factors affect this process. Especially, the feeding habits of animals and the foods they consume affect the rumination time. For this reason, excessive consumption of compounds such as starch and sugar can negatively affect the rumination time, while the consumption of concentrated feeds can reduce the time. Additionally, health problems such as heat stress, staying in closed environments for a long time, grouping, crowded groups, birth, heat, estrus, hoof care, being tied up for a long time and mastitis are also very effective. Therefore, environmental conditions and the animal should be closely monitored.
In addition to these factors, regular control of the feed content and following the time given to animals to make it periodic is also important. For this reason, to minimize the rumination time of animals, an appropriate ration should be created, and negative factors affecting rumen stimulation and salivation should be eliminated. Effective rumination is important for the health and productivity of animals, and therefore, these factors must be taken into account.
What Is Done for a Cow to Ruminate?
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