Haemato-Biochemical Findings of Indigenous Sheep Breeds in Mubi Adamawa State, Nigeria

Haematology of the most common indigenous sheep breeds in Mubi, was conducted for the period of six months. The animals were kept under different husbandry conditions from different farmers in Mubi and environment. The study was focused on the influence of breed, sex and age on the haematology of these common sheep breeds in the area so as to come up with the base line information on these animals. Significant (P<0.05) breed variations were observed on haemoglobin concentration (Hbc) indicating highest (45.43±1,34g/dl) values in West African dwarf sheep (WAD) while similar results were observed on Uda (UD) (41,02±1,08g/dl) Yankasa (YK) (41,54± 1,03g/dl) and Balami (BL) (42.12± 1.15g/dl) breeds. Significant (P<0.05) breed differences were depicted on mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Highest (2.98± 0.52fl) value was observed in WAD followed and similar values mUD (1.96± 0.34fl) andBM (2.33± 0.40fl) while least (1.81± 0.21 fl) value was recorded in YK. Significant (P<0.001) age group differences were evident in Hbc, white blood cell count (WBC), blood serum protein (BSP), MCV and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH). The WBC and BSP followed similar pattern of effect, showing highest values in the youngest (lV2-2 yearʹs age group) animals (15.06± 0.05x10V1 and 69.88± 0.43g/l, respectively) while least values were observed in the oldest (>4 years) (11,69±0.18x109/L and 63.81±0.50g/L, respectively). Sex effect was significant (P0.001) for packed cell volume (PCV) and WBC with highest values in males (30.80i0.44% and 13.83±0.15x107L, respectively. In conclusion, it was observed that the younger the animal, the more the resistant or healthier it is to diseases and that the older animals are more susceptible to diseases. Males are more resistant to diseases than the females in the studied sheep breeds.