Classification of Livestock – SS1 Livestock Farming Lesson Note (First Term)

Livestock are classified by how they digest food into two groups: ruminants, which have a four-chambered stomach, and non-ruminants, which have a single stomach.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define ruminant and non-ruminant animals;
2. name the four parts of a ruminant’s stomach and state the work of each;
3. state the key characteristics of ruminants and non-ruminants;
4. give examples of each group;
5. explain why a farmer must know which group an animal belongs to.

How do we classify livestock?

Livestock are classified into ruminants and non-ruminants according to the type of stomach they have and the food they eat.

• Ruminants: animals with a four-chambered stomach that feed mainly on forages, such as cattle, sheep and goats.
• Non-ruminants (monogastrics): animals with a single stomach that feed mainly on concentrates, such as poultry, pigs and rabbits.
• Why we group them: some animals turn tough grass into meat and milk, while others need grains and soft food, as humans do.

What are ruminant animals?

Ruminants are “complex-stomached” animals that chew the cud and have a stomach with four chambers.

• Chewing the cud (rumination): the animal swallows grass quickly, then brings it back to the mouth to chew again and make it softer.
• How to recognise it: a cow resting under a tree and moving its mouth as if chewing gum is ruminating.

What are the key characteristics of ruminants?

• Four-chambered stomach: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum.
• Hooves: most have split (cloven) hooves.
• Diet: they mainly eat forages (grass, hay and legumes) and digest tough fibre that humans cannot.
• No upper incisors: a tough dental pad in the upper jaw helps them grip and tear grass.
• Slow digestion: food stays long in the stomach because it is chewed twice.

What are the examples of ruminants?

• Cattle (cows and bulls): reared for beef, milk and hides, for example the White Fulani.
• Sheep: reared mainly for mutton, for example the Yankasa.
• Goats: reared for meat and milk, for example the West African Dwarf goat.

What are the parts of a ruminant’s stomach?

A ruminant’s stomach has four parts: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum.

How does rumination take place?

1. The animal grazes and swallows grass with little chewing.
2. The grass goes into the rumen and reticulum, where it is softened.
3. The softened food (cud) is brought back to the mouth.
4. The animal chews the cud thoroughly and swallows it again.
5. The food passes to the omasum, which absorbs water.
6. The food reaches the abomasum, where digestive juices act on it.

What are non-ruminant animals?

Non-ruminants, also called monogastrics, are “simple-stomached” animals with one stomach compartment.

• Meaning of monogastric: “mono” means one and “gastric” refers to the stomach.
• Digestion: their digestive system is similar to that of humans.
• Limit: they cannot digest large amounts of grass or fibre.
• Feed needed: high-energy foods such as maize, soya and palm kernel cake.

What are the key characteristics of non-ruminants?

• Single stomach: one simple stomach compartment.
• Fast digestion: refined food such as grain passes through faster than grass passes through a cow.
• Diet: concentrates (poultry mash, pig feed) and kitchen scraps.
• No cud chewing: they do not bring food back to the mouth.
• Teeth and grinding: pigs and rabbits have upper and lower teeth to chew food. Poultry have no teeth and grind food in the gizzard.

What are the examples of non-ruminants?

• Poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks): reared for meat and eggs.
• Pigs: reared for pork and bacon. They grow quickly and eat many kinds of feed.
• Rabbits: they eat grass, but they are still non-ruminants. They have a large side-pouch called the caecum.

Why does the classification of livestock matter?

A farmer must know which group an animal belongs to so that the animal is fed correctly.

• Ruminants: let them graze on pasture (grassland). This saves money on expensive grains.
• Ruminants in the dry season: give hay or other stored forage when fresh grass is scarce.
• Non-ruminants: provide balanced mash or pellets.
• Wrong feeding: a chicken given only dry grass will starve because its stomach cannot break the grass down.

What is the difference between ruminants and non-ruminants?

Ruminants have four stomach chambers and chew the cud. Non-ruminants have one stomach chamber and do not chew the cud.

Evaluation

1. Define a ruminant and a non-ruminant.
2. Name the four parts of a ruminant’s stomach.
3. State two differences between ruminants and non-ruminants.
4. Why will a chicken starve if it is given only dry grass?

Class activity

1. Observe any goat or chicken nearby and watch how it eats.
2. Which animal keeps chewing even when it is not picking food from the ground? Name the behaviour.

Assignment

Draw a diagram of a cow’s stomach in your notebook, label the four parts and write one function beside each.