What's up with the Cud?

Goats are ruminants, which means they chew cud as part of their natural digestive process. Here’s how it works:

🐐 The Cud-Chewing Process

1. First Chew (Quick Eat):

Goats will quickly eat their food, swallowing it with minimal chewing. This allows them to gather a lot of forage quickly, especially when grazing in areas where they need to be alert for predators.

2. Rumen Storage:

The swallowed food goes into the rumen, the first and largest compartment of their four-chambered stomach. Here, it begins to ferment with the help of beneficial microbes.

3. Regurgitation (Cud Formation):

Later, when the goat is relaxed and safe—like lying down or resting—it regurgitates a portion of that partially digested food. This is called cud.

4. Second Chew (Thorough Chewing):

The goat chews the cud slowly and thoroughly, breaking down the food into smaller particles to make digestion more efficient.

5. Swallowing Again:

After this second round of chewing, the food moves through the other stomach chambers: the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, eventually being fully digested and absorbed.

Why Chewing Cud Is Important

Better Digestion: It breaks down tough plant fibers like cellulose.

Nutrient Absorption: Maximizes nutrient extraction from rough forage.

Health Indicator: A healthy goat will chew cud regularly, usually while resting.

If a goat stops chewing cud, it can be a sign of illness, stress, or digestive upset, like bloat or rumen stasis.