Small Ruminant Home Page

What is classified as a small ruminant?

A ruminant is any animal that has a fore-stomach with four chambers and chews its cud.  Goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, and deer are all classified as small ruminants.  These animals are profoundly important in many facets of international agriculture.  Their meat, milk, and wool feed and clothe people around the world.  Today’s veterinarians have the task of keeping these animals healthy in order to maintain production for the increasing demand of their products by consumers.

Sheep, goats, New World camelids (llamas and alpacas) and cervids (whitetail, red and fallow deer, caribou and elk) are rapidly expanding alternative sustainable agricultural enterprises. Pennsylvania has a growing number of small family and hobby farms that can be operated on a small scale or part-time basis.

Small ruminants are extremely versatile animals filling many different niches in supporting human civilization around the globe.

• Goat meat, in total, feeds more people around the world than cattle.  Meat goat production is one of the fastest growing small-scale livestock operations in the United States.  Demand for goat meat and lamb is increasing as a result of specialty markets associated with ethnic holidays.
• Outside of North America goat's milk is the primary source of fluid milk consumed.  There is a growing demand for alternative milk sources and milk products (cheese and yogurt) generated from either dairy sheep or dairy goats.
• Sheep, hair goats, llamas, and alpacas can produce fiber of varying quality that can be used for clothing.