HAEMATOLOGICAL AND SERUM BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF WEST AFRICAN DWARF (WAD) SHEEP FED VARYING LEVELS OF AMMONIUM SULPHATE SUPPLEMENTATION

Abstract

The haematology and serum biochemical parameters of sixteen (16) West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep weighing 16.8+0.12kg were assigned to diets containing 0.00, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75% levels of ammonium sulphate as TI, T2, T3 and T4 respectively for 105 days. In acompletely randomized design, each ewe was fed 5% body weight of the diet and wilted guinea grass in a 60:40. Variations in haematological parameters due to treatments were inconsistently significant except for platelet and white blood cell. The erythrocytes/white blood cell (x10°/mm’) varied from (4.31) TI to (5.15) T4. The lowest packed cell volume (39.50%) was obtained for sheep on 0.00% (NH,).SO,. Erythrocytes/red blood cell was normal and ranged from 11.84 in T1 to 13.28 in T4. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ranged from 15.75 to 24.75 (units/L) fall within the normal range, None of the sheep in the treated groups showed neither an abnormal growth, nor behaviour and signs of illness during the study period. The results showed that, WAD sheep could tolerate the (NH) 50, at levels up to. 0.75% inclusion without a significant alteration ofthe blood constituents