03/13/2026
FREE TRAINING FRIDAY!
Camelids have three stomach compartments. This means that they are often called “pseudo-ruminants” while the so-called “true” ruminants such as cattle and sheep have 4 stomachs. These camelid compartments (imaginatively called C1, C2, and C3!) allow them to ferment fibrous plants extremely efficiently.
The first compartment, C1, acts like a fermentation vat where microbes break down plant material into nutrients the animal can absorb. This is very like the rumen of cattle and sheep. However, camelids have evolved to be very efficient at this allowing them to thrive even on poor-quality forages.
There are a few key reasons for this efficiency:
1. Rapid absorption of the acidic breakdown products of digestion which helps to stabilise pH in that stomach environment, making it good for the microbes
2. Enhanced nitrogen recycling that supports the microbes
3. Longer retention of feed material in the forestomachs leading to better breakdown of plant cell walls
4. Faster flow of liquids through the first 2 stomach compartments: this means that the microbes need to be more efficient themselves and use less energy!
So really it’s a lot about looking after those microbes! Keep them happy and you have a happy alpaca or llama!
So who’s the “better” ruminant?! I think camelids win hands down on efficiency! Like and comment below!
