Raising Runmens

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The rumen,is located on the left side of the goat,makes nutrients by using live bacteria to convert food matter into nutrition,working much like a live compost pile.The rumen begins to break down food as soon as it swallows it.Whatever a goat eats goes directly into its rumen and not through a stomach as in people or dogs.Goats eat by foraging for several hours,then while resting,they reguritate a chunk of the material (cud) and chew it.If the ph is off (slightly alkaline),then the goat will not get proper nutrition and may become sick or die.Unlike humans,whose stomachs use acids to digest foodstuffs,goats begin the nutrition manufactering process in their rumens before their food is throughly chewed.For this reason,what a goat eats and how much it eats is very important to its overall health.The rumen must be fed properly in order to keep live bacteria healthy and active.If the microbes are completely consumed or compromised,undigested food becomes toxic and the goats body cannot make the necessary vitamins and nutrients which it needs to survive,much less produce and nurse kids.Goats require a wide variety of different types of plant materials.Unlike sheep and cattle,goats must have very high quality forage/feed.Goats have slow acting rumens,things eaten that are toxic to them do not move through their system fast enough but remain there and cause illness or death.
Suzanne W. Gasparotto Goat Rancher Magazine

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The vast majority of health problems encounted with goats are rumen related.Over eating,diarrhea,toxemia (plant,mineral, grain) listeriosis,goat polio,pregnancy toxemia.ketosis,floppy kid syndrome,laminitis/flounder,ruminal acidosis,bloat.antibiotic therapy,the list of conditions affecting the rumen is almost infinite.Having a good understanding of how the rumen functions is basic information needed by goat producers.
By Suzanne W. Gasparotto:Breeder of the Tenn.meat goat
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