Capra hircus is a grazing herbivore. It is a diurnal animal (is active during the day), so it spends a large majority of the day grazing to obtain its food. Typically, Capra hircus grazes on grasses, weeds, tree bark, meadow and cultivated fodder (feed), leafy and needled branches, hay and silage.

Once ingested, these materials pass into the goat’s

four-chambered stomach. First, the food enters the

rumen. This chamber can hold up to 10 ½ quarts of

food and contains bacteria and microorganisms that

are capable of breaking down cellulose into fatty

acids. These fatty acids can be absorbed into the

blood and later utilized by the goat’s cells.  To

maintain these bacteria and microorganisms, the

goat’s diet must contain albumin, a protein. This

protein is supplied by the typical foods of the goat.

                                                                         

                                                                            In addition to the breaking down cellulose, the

                                                                           goat’s rumen also helps to mechanically break

                                                                           down the food. The roughage that the goat

                                                                           ingests stimulates regurgitation, and the goat

                                                                           regurgitates a mouthful of the ingested food

                                                                           and re-chews it. This process is commonly

                                                                           known as cud chewing.

                                                                                    To watch a video of a goat chewing its

                                                                                                               cud, click here.

After leaving being broken down in the rumen, the food passes through the reticulum and omasum chambers and into the “true stomach”, which is also known as the abomasum or rennet. This chamber contains hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes that further digest the food before it passes into the intestine. This chamber is very similar to the stomachs of humans and other non-ruminates.

Once the food is broken down into its molecular components, it passes into the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal wall into the blood stream. These nutrients are carried through a closed circulatory system to cells in specific tissues where they are converted to glucose to be used for cell metabolism. Unused glucose is then converted to glycogen and stored for later use.

In some cases Capra hircus can serve as a host for certain parasites. The goats eat the larvae of these worms with their food and then excrete their eggs in the fields where they graze. Because of the proximity of their food to their excretions this parasite host relationship is common.

    For more on goat-parasite relationships, see Interactions with Other Species.

To return home, click here.

To learn about the goat’s life history and reproduction, click here.

Diagram of the goat’s four stomach Chambers.

Image courtesy of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries

Two goats chewing their cud.

Image by 2-Dog-Farm