Ruminants from the Latin word "ruminare", "to chew over again".

Ruminants are mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a
specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through bacterial actions. They are animals with four-
chambered stomachs namely the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.

Ruminants are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire

nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to
digestion, principally through microbial actions. The process, which takes place in the
front part of the digestive system and therefore is called foregut fermentation, typically
requires the fermented ingesta (known as cud) to be regurgitated and chewed again.
The process of rechewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate
digestion is called rumination. The word "ruminant" comes from the Latin ruminare,
which means "to chew over again".

The primary difference between ruminants and nonruminants is that ruminants'

stomachs have four compartments:

1. rumen—primary site of microbial fermentation

2. reticulum
3. omasum—receives chewed cud, and absorbs volatile fatty acids
4. abomasum—true stomach

The first two chambers are the rumen and the reticulum. These two compartments make
up the fermentation vat and are the major site of microbial activity. Fermentation is
crucial to digestion because it breaks down complex carbohydrates, such as cellulose,
and enables the animal to use them. Without the help of microbes, ruminants would not
be able to use nutrients from forages. The food is mixed with saliva and clump together
to form the cud.
The cud is then regurgitated and chewed to completely mix it with saliva and to break
down the particle size. Smaller particle size allows for increased nutrient absorption.
similar tasks. After the regurgitation, degraded digesta, which is now in the lower liquid
part of the reticulorumen, then passes into the next chamber, the omasum. This
chamber controls what is able to pass into the abomasum. It keeps the particle size as
small as possible in order to pass into the abomasum. After this, the digesta is moved to
the true stomach, the abomasum. This is the gastric compartment of the ruminant
stomach. The abomasum is the direct equivalent of the monogastric stomach, and
digesta is digested here in much the same way.

Ruminants are classified into large ruminants and small ruminants. Large ruminants
include cattle and carabao while small ruminants include goats and sheep, which will be
the focus of our training.s
ADVANTAGES OF RAISING SMALL RUMINANTS

Goats require smaller capital investment than cattle.

Goats multiply faster than cattle or carabao. Before a goat is three years old, she can give birth to as
many as five kids.

Although a goat is small, she can produce as much four liters of milk everyday if she is pure-bred and is
given a ration to meet all of nutritional requirements.

Goats require less feds than cows and carabaos. About ten native goats can be feed on the feedstuffs
sufficient for one cow. And about 6-7 purebred dairy goaats can be fed on the feedstuff sufficient for
one dairy cow.

Goat are usually docile and can be raised by anyone.

Where cows or carabaos may be too large for women or children to handle, the goats is just right size of
animals for them to raise.

Goats are friendly and intelligent.

Goats are clean animals. They do not thrive in filthy places. Also, they do not eat rotten or spoiled feeds.

A few can be tethered along farm fences and boundaries or along roads and can be even be confined in
pins and given yard clippings and branches or tree and shrubs. A herd can be raised easily on open lands.

Under orchards and coconut plantation, goats are good clippers of weeds.

Goats provide manure for fishponds, farms and gardens.

Farmers, in some cases, can use goats "insurance" against the failure of their crops.

A family milk goat can provide just the right amount of milk for the farm family at very economic price.

GOAT

(Capra hircus)

Female goat is called a DOE or a NANNY

Male goat is called a BUCK or a BILLY

Baby goat is called a KID

SHEEP

(Ovis aries)

Male sheep is called RAMS

Female sheep is called EWE

eImmature sheep are called LAMBS

Mature sheep weigh about 35 to 180 kg

Matures at about 1-year of age, and many breed when they reach 1.5 years

LO 1: SELECT HEALTHY BREEDERS AND SUITABLE CAGES

Common Breeds of Goats And Sheep

DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS FOR SMALL RUMINANTS

Good teeth

Good legs and feet

Good and shiny kin and hair

Normal reproductive parts

SELECTION CRITERIA (GOAT)

DOES

Does should be purchased from a locality or area with similar climatic conditions

Native or graded does should not be less than 25 kg

Udder should be palpated for size, detection of lumps, and other abnormalities

Teats should be uniform at length and large enough for easy milking

It must have a good appetite, possessing alert eyes, and well formed pupils, and

Do not buy breeders from markets

BUCKS

One year old breeder or buck that have successfully

mated once is desirable

Acquired buck should be accompanied by pedigree records

It must have a good producing line based from farm

records

Buck must come from doe with high twinning rate

Buck must be active and ready to breed in-heat doe

Replace buck, preferably, every three years

SELECTING THE SITE/LOCATION FOR SMALL RUMINANT (PAES)

The location shall conform to the land use plan of the

area
The site shall be accessible to service roads, water supply and electric lines

The site shall be well drained and allows for free air

circulation

The building shall be constructed in an east-west orientation and the structure for marketable animals
shall be located near the service road

The site shall be located where the prevailing winds will not carry odors to the farm house.

TYPES OF HOUSING

Shed type - Animals can move freely in or out of the housing area and into the paddock or feeding area.

Feeding and watering trough, mineral feeders and grain bunks are located on concrete pads at the
center or along the side of the shed.

Pen-barn type

a. Stall barns - each animal is confined in a stall. Stalls are provided with individual feeding and
watering trough.
b. Confined housing - group pens for animals with the same sizes should be constructed and
provided with an ample area for exercise. Feeding trough should be fenced off with bamboo or
wooden slats providing ample space that will enable the animals to insert only its head. This will
prevent the animal from stepping or trampling the grasses. Watering devices should be placed
in an area where spilled water will not mess up the pen.

Space Req.

A fenced loafing area of 150 m?/50 head shall be provided adjacent to the animal housing.

STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENT (PAES)

FLOOR

a. For slatted floor, the slats should be 70 mm 100 mm wide, 25 mm - 30 mm thick and should be
laid with slot space of 10 mm - 25 mm. For goats, staircase type and elevated type of slatted
flooring should be constructed. The minimum step width shall be 800 mm and the vertical
distance between steps shall be 300 mm.
b. If the slatted floor is made of galvanized welded mesh (Figure 4), the diameter of the wire shall
be 5 mm and the mesh spacing shall be 20 mm.
c. The slatted floor shall be at least 1 m above the ground. The floor underneath the slatted floor
should be either concrete or rammed earth floor that slopes towards the drainage. The concrete
floor shall have a minimum slope of 2% and the earth floor shall have a minimum slope of 4%.
d. d. For concrete floor, it shall be skid resistant and well drained. The floor slope should be 2% -
4%.

ROOF
a. Adequate roofing shall be provided against rain and intense heat from the sun.

b. For the shed type housing, the roof shall slope towards the back of the shed. The height of the front
eave shall be at least 2 m and the height of the rear eave shall be at least 1.5 m.

c. For adequate ventilation, roof slope shall not be less than 25%. If roofing is made of indigenous
materials, the minimum roof slope shall be 58%.

WALL

a. Adequate walling shall be provided against rain.

b. A clearance of 150 mm - 300 mm between floor to wall and wall to beam should be provided to
create an adequate circulation of air and to lower draft.

FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT

PENS FOR PERN BARN TYPE HOUSING

a. Height of pen wall and gate shall vary according to breed but shall not be less than 1.2 m.

b. Pen wall and gates should be made of cyclone wire, metal bars or wooden slats. For metal bars and
wooden slats, slot size should be 50 mm 100 mm. If the wall is galvanized welded or woven mesh (Figure
5), the maximum mesh dimension shall be 100 mm x 100 mm and the post shall be made up of
galvanized steel (70 mm in diameter)

c. Fittings and internal surfaces of all buildings and equipment to which the animals have access shall not
have sharp edges or projections.

d. Surfaces shall not be treated with pa ints or wood preservatives that may cause illness or death.

e. A brooder box shall be provided for newly born kids/lambs. One side shall be open and box dimension
should be 500 mm x 450 mm x 350mm.

h. The pen for the kids/lamb shall have at least one side slatted to permit air movement.

i. Each pen shall be provided with hayracks, feed and water troughs.

PEN FACILITIES

a. Feeding trough and hay racks

1 Feeding troughs should be trapezoidal or semi- cylindrical. The feeding trough depth should be 180
mm - 250 mm with a width of 300 mm and it shall be raised

off the ground at least 150 mm to keep the animals out.

2. Hay racks shall have diagonal or vertical slats with a minimum spacing of 130mm (Figure 6). Hay racks
shall be properly positioned and designed to avoid the risk of injury.

Feeding Space Requirement

b. Watering facility
Water troughs should preferably concrete.

Figure 7 shows a typical example of water trough.

2. In an open tank drinking system, 300 mm of space is required for each 15 25 head. In an automatic
watering system, 1 bowl or nipple shall be provided for every 50 head.

3. Watering devices shall be placed in an area where spilled water is easily drained.

4. For free range, around the waterers shall be paved or packed with gravel at least 750 mm width

BREEDING FACILITIES (0ptional)

a. A separate kidding or lambing pen with a minimum dimension of 1 mx 1.5 m shall be provided.

b.For every ten does or ewe, one kidding or lambing pen shall be provided.

c.Buck/ram shall be housed separate from milking herd and downwind from the milking herd.

MILKING AREA (Optional)

Milking area shall be separated from where the goats are kept and it shall be provided with milking stall.

LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION

a. The housing shall be provided with lighting intensity of 200 lux.

b. All electrical installations shall be inaccessible to

all animals and it shall conform to Philippine

Electrical Code.

FIELD FENCING

a. The height of the fence shall be at least 1.5 m.

b.Post shall be spaced not more than 4 m apart and shall be embedded at least 300 mm into the ground.

c.If woven wire is used as fencing material, the maximum spacing between horizontal lines should be
150 mm. However, the spacing between the horizontal lines can be made wider as the fence gets taller.

ADDITIONAL TIPS IN GOAT HOUSING

SELECTION AND CONSTRUCTION

Select the land for shed construction which is not

impacted by wild winds, predators and floods. The space should be dry and on height.

For good cross-ventilation and good air flow, East

West orientation of goat shed is preferred.

Go for simple shed with low coat material especially when in trial method of farming.

Always clean and keep the goat shed dry.