These fistulation holes in the cows allow access from the outside to the rumen inside the cow. The rumen is home to microflora that aid in digestion, functions for how the cow feels, and also provides vitamins and minerals required for the health of the cow. Rumen bugs, or “flora”, not only help sick cows by transferring the healthy bugs over to them, but sheep and goats also benefit from this, due to their similar digestive systems! Fistulated cows are also used to sample rumen contents to study how different nutrients affect the way a cow digests certain things.
Here are our three cows, Morrigan, Blue, and Ramen, who are currently being used for fistulation research at Witter Farm: