Is it True That Sheep Can Eat Human Food? Here’s an Explanation from an IPB University Lecturer
Recently, there have been many viral cases of farm animals consuming human food, such as sheep eating rice and nuggets. Is this safe for farm animals?
Dr Muhammad Baihaqi, lecturer in Animal Production and Technology (IPTP) IPB University, explained that sheep are basically ruminants that have a different digestive system from humans.
“Sheep have ‘four’ stomachs (polygastric) while humans only have ‘one’ stomach (monogastric). Therefore, sheep are sometimes referred to as herbivores because of their ability to digest coarse fibers that are not present in humans,” he explained.
Dr Baihaqi continued, the coarse fiber is digested by fermentation in the sheep’s stomach, so basically sheep need a different type of food from humans, namely grass and other plants.
However, there are some human foods that can be eaten by sheep but not in large quantities. “If the food is not harmful to humans, then it is also not harmful to sheep,” he said.
However, Dr Baihaqi says, since sheep have four stomachs and require fermentation in their digestion, they need more grass or plants in their diet.
Dr Baihaqi explains that if sheep are given feed that is high in sugar, fat or protein but low in fiber, it can cause problems in their digestive tract, such as acidosis.
“Therefore, we should not give human food in larger portions compared to grass feed,” he added.
In addition, food that has become moldy can also be harmful. In fact, there are some molds that can cause poisoning to sheep, such as the mold in corn that produces the toxin aflatoxin.
“As long as the human food is given in small amounts and the sheep still eat grass in large quantities and the food is not contaminated with harmful microbes, then it is not too much of a problem,” said Dr Baihaqi.
He also gave advice for farmers to keep their sheep healthy, namely:
- Make sure the sheep get grass or plant food, as this is the main need that should not be left out.
- Provide additional feed such as concentrates or highly nutritious plants (leguminous) to support their needs.
- Avoid giving feed that has been damaged, for example it has smelled, moldy because it may have been overgrown with harmful microbes.
- Place sheep in good and comfortable pens, shave wool for sanitation and parasite prevention, cut hooves to avoid disease/limping.
- Treat the sheep well and not harshly or painfully as it may cause stress to the sheep. (Lp) (IAAS/LAN)
