Abstract:[Background] Butyrate-producing bacteria are an important of functional microorganisms in the host gastrointestinal tract, and their metabolites can promote the healthy development of the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants.[Objective] This study aimed to isolate and screen rumen-derived butyrate-producing strains, clarify their probiotic characteristics and optimize culture conditions, thus providing strain resources and a theoretical basis for subsequent development and application. [Methods] Fresh rumen contents were collected from adult sheep at the Changping Base of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The strains with high butyrate production were obtained by primary screening with reinforced Clostridium medium (RCM) and secondary screening with butyrate production as the standard. Growth and probiotic characteristics of the strains were analyzed, and the optimal culture conditions were determined by single factor and orthogonal tests. [Results] A strain with high butyrate production was screened and identified as Roseburia intestinalis, named R. intestinalis F12-9. The seed liquid of R. intestinalis F12-9 was inoculated into the RCM at an inoculation amount of 3% and cultured at 37 ℃ and initial pH 6.8, under which the strain exhibited a logarithmic growth phase within 0–10 h. The survival rate of R. intestinalis F12-9 exposed to 6.0% NaCl and 3.0 g/L bile salt were (63.88±3.16)% and (200.82±11.19)%, respectively. The survival rates in simulated gastric juice (pH 2.5, pH 3.0) and pancreatic juice were (110.11±9.44)%, (100.18±8.44)%, and (175.05±5.20)%, respectively. The optimized culture conditions of the strain were as follows: inoculation amount of 5%, pH 7.0, and culture time of 12 h, resulted in an OD600 value of 1.913, which was 1.34 times higher than that before optimization. [Conclusion] Rumen-derived R. intestinalis F12-9 is a new butyrate-producing strain, with a strong ability to produce butyrate, no hemolysis, a low risk of antibiotic resistance, and strong tolerance, demonstrating its broad development prospects.