Ruminants 🐄
How many compartments are in a ruminant stomach?
Name them:
Four (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum).
How many stomachs do monogastrics have?
One.
What organ stores feed before digestion in poultry?
Crop
Give one example of a hindgut fermenter.
Horse or rabbit.
Which organ begins mechanical digestion in all animals?
Mouth.
Which compartment is known as the “fermentation vat”?
Rumen
Name one common monogastric livestock animal.
Pig
What is the “true stomach” in birds?
Proventriculus.
Where does fermentation happen in hindgut fermenters?
Cecum and large intestine.
Which organ produces bile?
Liver
What is the function of the reticulum?
Traps foreign objects and helps mix feed.
What is the primary site of nutrient absorption in monogastrics?
Small Intestine
What organ grinds food with the help of grit?
Gizzard.
Why are hindgut fermenters less efficient than ruminants?
Fermentation happens after the small intestine, so fewer nutrients are absorbed.
Which organ absorbs most nutrients?
Small intestine.
Which compartment is called the “true stomach”?
Abomasum.
Which organ stores bile to help digest fat?
Gallbladder.
Why do chickens need grit in their diet?
To grind feed in the gizzard since they don’t have teeth.
What type of diet do hindgut fermenters rely on?
High-fiber diets (hay, forage).
Which organ absorbs water and forms waste?
Large intestine.
Why are ruminants able to survive on high-fiber diets like hay?
Microbes in the rumen break down cellulose.
Why do monogastrics need higher-energy diets than ruminants?
They digest food quickly and don’t ferment fiber as efficiently.
List the three unique organs in the avian digestive system.
Crop, proventriculus, gizzard.
Which hindgut organ is very large in horses and responsible for fiber digestion?
Cecum
Match the organ to the system: (a) Gizzard (b) Rumen (c) Cecum.
(a) Avian, (b) Ruminant, (c) Hindgut fermenter.