ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Esophagus. When the cattle swallows the plant material and saliva mix, it will travel down the esophagus to the rumen. The esophagus performs the swallowing action through waves of muscle contractions, moving the feed down.

Detailed explanation-2: -The unchewed food travels to the first two stomachs, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is stored until later.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ruminants chew their food numerous times through a process called regurgitation or rumination. That means their food travels first from their mouth to the esophagus, then down to the rumen. From the rumen, the food travels to the reticulum where it can them come back up the esophagus into the mouth.

Detailed explanation-4: -Feed protein (not broken down in the rumen) and microbial protein pass to the abomasum and small intestine for digestion and absorption.

Detailed explanation-5: -The esophagus contracts as it moves food into the stomach. A “valve” called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is located just before the opening to the stomach. This valve opens to let food pass into the stomach from the esophagus and it prevents food from moving back up into the esophagus from the stomach.