Effect of genotype on haematology and serum biochemistry of Nigerian indigenous roosters (cockerels)

An experiment was conducted to determine the haematology and serum biochemistry of three genotypes of Nigerian indigenous roosters. A total of twenty-seven roosters aged 8 months were used. They were divided into 3 treatment groups as T1, T2 and T3, representing frizzled, naked neck and normal feathered roosters respectively. Each of the treatment group consisted of Nine (9) roosters, replicated 3 times with 3 roosters per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). They were fed grower mash for 35 days after which blood samples were collected for haematological and serum biochemical evaluation. The parameters measured included haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular heamoglobin concentration (MCHC), total protein, albumin, urea, globulin, glucose, creatinine and cholesterol. The results of the study revealed that all the parameters measured showed no significant differences (P>0.05) among the treatment groups although variations were observed among the different genotypes. More so, almost all the parameters measured are within the normal ranges for chicken.