MEMBER ACCESS SNIA THE FILM Feed the animals Manufacturers for animal husbandry Feed the man Download area Contact Useful links > Home> Feed the animals> Animal needs> Ruminants Ruminants Animal needs Pigs Poultry Ruminants Other species Compound feeds Our recipes Regulations The family of domestic ruminants has two large groups: small ruminants (goats and sheep) coexist with large (cattle). These mammals all know how to digest cellulose, the main component of grass. Their digestive system has 4 pockets that house bacteria capable of fermenting this cellulose, which monogastrics (poultry, pigs) cannot do. In the end, what a cow eats is therefore not grass but the bacteria that feed on the cellulose she has swallowed. 190,000 cattle farms in France France has 190,000 farms which are specialized either in milk production (dairy herd) or in meat production (so-called lactating herd because the calves suckle). There are 6 main breeds and many regional breeds. Certain hardy breeds are the subject of conservation programs. The main breeds of dairy cows are Holsteins (black and white), Montbéliardes (redheads) and Normandes (brown and black spots). The main meat breeds are Charolais (white), Blondes d'Aquitaine (pale blond) and Limousines (redheads). But Brune des Alpes and Vosgienne, Flamande and Blanc Bleu, Rouge des Prés and Jersiaise, Salers and Gasconne, Abondance and Simmental… dot France and delight visitors to the Salon de l'Agriculture every year. Balanced menus En volume, les aliments principaux des ruminants sont des fourrages (herbe pâturée, ensilage de maïs, foin de luzerne…). Pour compléter la ration de ses animaux qui sont de plus en plus performants, l’éleveur distribue des aliments concentrés. Ils apportent de l’énergie (avec des céréales, des pulpes de betteraves), des protéines (comme le tourteau de soja et de colza), des minéraux et des vitamines. Les chercheurs ont montré que certains aliments de la vache ont des effets bénéfiques sur l’homme : le lin apporte ainsi des oméga trois que l’on retrouve dans le lait et la viande. Des petits ruminants bien présents Les brebis sont également élevées en France, notamment pour produire des fromages comme le fameux Roquefort. Au total, près de 60 000 élevages détiennent des brebis dont 35 000 sont réellement spécialisés (plus de 10 brebis). There are also 5,000 farms with more than 10 goats in France. Goat's milk has experienced interesting growth since the mid-nineties. Goat cheeses hold their place on cheese platters. However, these two animals are not cows in miniature: food manufacturers have developed with researchers ranges of food well suited to their morphology and their specific needs. A site edited by the National Union of the Animal Nutrition Industry (SNIA) Legal notices | Site map | Contact powered by Makoa