Ruminant Animal Centre

Cuddle up with some animal friends. The Nova Scotia Agricultural College campus houses a number of animals in the Ruminant Animal Centre. If you are an animal lover or would just like to see the facilities it makes for a nice visit. The barn is open during weekday business hours.

Come relax with these cool cows. Ruminants (cows and sheep) have complex stomachs. The rumen is the largest chamber in their stomach. In this chamber microbial fermentation takes place. This microbial activity creates a lot of heat. Cows are comfortable at a room temperature of ~4°C. However, the barn will not be cold during your visit with the amount of heat these girls put off.

If the heat produced by the cows was not enough to warm you up. A visit to the sheep wing is sure to warm your heart. February and March is the most common time for the ewes to begin lambing. If your visit to the barn is timed right the shepherd may let you bottle feed an orphan. If not, you will be sure to see lambs frolicking about to avoid the shivers.