A cow is classified as a ruminant and has 4 stomachs namely the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. The rumen is the first and largest stomach. The food is stored in the rumen after it has been swallowed for the first time, after which the coarse parts are brought back up to be chewed again.
The reticulum receives the finely ground food from the rumen mixed with various liquids and millions of microbes to release the energy from the food for absorption. The omasum is the smallest of the four stomachs and functions primarily for the absorption of fluid, sodium, and potassium. The abomasum is the last stomach and specifically digests proteins from the feed and the microbes.
