Cattle and sheep, both herbivores and
ruminants, have large digestive
systems that can use large amounts of
bulky feeds, such as forages. These
foodstuffs provide cattle and sheep
with the nutrients necessary for body
maintenance and production of milk,
meat, and wool. The stomach of a
1,200-pound cow may have a
capacity for 300 pounds of feed.
The ruminant’s stomach consists of
four compartments - reticulum,
rumen, omasum, and abomasum (true
stomach).