Haematological and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Weaned Pigs Fed Maize Cob-Cassava Peel Mixture as Partial Replacement for Maize

This study was carried out to investigate the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of weaned pigs fed maize cob-cassava peel mixture as partial replacement for maize. A total of 36 crossbreed male piglets with initial body weight (6.07±0.02 kg) of about 7-8 weeks’ old were randomly distributed into four groups of nine animals per treatment. Each treatment was further divided into three replicates consisting of three pigs in a completely randomized design. Pigs in treatment 1 were fed 0 % maize cob-cassava peel mixture (CPMCM) while CPMCM was used to replace maize at 10 % (T2), 20 % (T3) and 30 % (T3). Phytochemical evaluation of CPMCM revealed the presence of alkaloids (19.10 mg/kg), tannins (8.17 mg/kg), saponins (9.11 mg/kg), cyanide (16.50 mg/kg), flavonoids (12.86 mg/kg) and phenol (7.72 mg/kg). All the haematological parameters: red blood cell, pack cell volume, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, white blood cell, monocytes, basophils and lymphocytes were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the treatment except for platelet values (P>0.05). Similarly, total protein, total bilirubin and gluscose levels were significantly different (P<0.05) among the treatments except for cholesterol, urea, creatinine, activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were not influenced by the treatment (P>0.05). However, values were within the normal range for heathy weaner pigs. It was concluded that CPMCM can be used to partially replace maize up to 30 % without having any negative effect on the health status of pigs.