Development of the Four Stomach Compartments in Newborns

By Deb Haines

When a goat kid is born, the rumen is small and the abomasum is the largest of the four stomach compartments.

The rumen of a goat kid is about 30 percent of the total stomach area, while the abomasum is about 70 percent. Hence, digestion in the goat kid is like that of a monogastric animal. In the suckling goat kid, closure of the esophageal groove ensures that milk is channeled directly to the abomasum instead of going through the rumen, reticulum, and omasum. Peptic cells in the abomasum of young milk-fed ruminants secrete, in addition to pepsin, the enzyme rennin. This enzyme is responsible for forming milk curdles and digesting milk protein.

When the suckling goat kid starts to nibble on vegetation during the forth to sixth week after birth, the rumen, reticulum, and omasum gradually develop in size and function. After approximately two to three months, the four stomach compartments reach their relative adult proportions.

Questions and Answers

1) Is holding the bottle a certain way that important?

When the kid nurses, muscle tissue (the esophageal groove) forms a direct tubular connection allowing milk to go from the esophagus to the abomasum. This prevents milk from being fermented or soured by the ruminal microorganisms

If you bottle-feed kids, it is important to hold the kid in a natural nursing position so the esophageal groove closes properly. The position required is to have the head low and the kid almost down on its knees, just as if the kid was nursing off the teat naturally. Looking at a kid nurse naturally from the doe will show the proper angle and position.

2) Where does the milk go ?

When the kid swallows milk, the milk goes directly to the abomasum from the mouth and esophagus by using the esophageal groove. Everytime the kid sucks and swallows, the groove forms at the entrance to the rumen and bypasses the rumen and sends the milk straight to the abomasum to be digested by stomach acid.

3) Can you feed a baby from a bowl instead of mama?

Drinking milk from a bowl does not allow for the rumino reticular groove to signal to close, this is why baby goats are made to lift the head up to get the milk.

4) Will sprinkling powdered milk over their food give the baby what it needs if nibbling on grain instead of bottle ?

You can add milk replacement powder on grain . However this will go into her rumen not her 4th stomach and hence act just as protein not milk, not recommended.

They need a sucking reflex to go into 4th stomach to close the grove that bypasses the rumen and this is only stimulated by liquid milk.