Why do sheep get Bloat

Question

Why do sheep get Bloat

Answer 1

In layman's terms, bloat is an excess of gases in the rumen of sheep.

The rumen in a sheep serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation of ingested feed.

Bloat should always be considered an emergency situation. When sheep consume lush pastures heavy in legumes - clover, alfalfa - the gases in their rumen cannot escape fast enough. These rapidly fermenting foods produce gases more quickly than sheep can digest.

It is a digestive disorder characterized by an accumulation of gas in the first two compartments of a ruminant's stomach (the rumen and reticulum). Production of gas a normal, and the gas is usually discharged by belching but, if the animal is unable to remove the excess gas, pressure builds up in the rumen-reticulum exerting pressure on the diaphragm which prevents the animal from inhaling, and bloat occurs.

This site is where I found some information (not all of it) and may be of help.

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/forage/pubs/bloa...