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Haematological studies on frizzled and naked neck genotypes of Nigerian native chickens

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Abstract

Variation in haematological parameters of Nigerian native chickens was studied using 60 clinically normal frizzle-feathered, naked-neck, and normal-feathered native chickens. These included red blood cell count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, white blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, serum glucose, urea, cholesterol, albumin, globulin and creatinine. Normal-feathered birds had higher (p < 0.05) mean values compared to frizzled and native neck genotypes except for albumin, red blood and white blood cells, and mean cell haemoglobin concentration. Males generally had higher mean values than their female counterparts across all genotypes. Correlation coefficients among the parameters were significant (p < 0.001) with r values ranging from 0.26 between red blood cell and mean corpuscular haemoglobin to 0.92 between red blood cell and cholesterol. Sufficient genetic variation therefore exists for haematological parameters among Nigerian native chickens that may represent indicator traits for further study. However, the application of molecular tools will provide better understanding and application of these differences.

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Acknowledgement

Financial support from grant RG180 by the Research and Development Centre of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

    Sunday Olusola Peters & Christian Obiora Ndubuisi Ikeobi

  2. Department of Animal and Range Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA

    Sunday Olusola Peters

  3. Department of Animal Science, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt, Nigeria

    Hollinshead Holly Gunn

  4. Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Ikhide Godwin Imumorin

  5. Department of Animal Science and Fisheries, University of Port- Harcourt, Port-Harcourt, Nigeria

    Brilliant Ogagaoghene Agaviezor

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  1. Sunday Olusola Peters
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  2. Hollinshead Holly Gunn
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  3. Ikhide Godwin Imumorin
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  5. Christian Obiora Ndubuisi Ikeobi
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Correspondence to Christian Obiora Ndubuisi Ikeobi.

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Peters, S.O., Gunn, H.H., Imumorin, I.G. et al. Haematological studies on frizzled and naked neck genotypes of Nigerian native chickens. Trop Anim Health Prod 43, 631–638 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-010-9743-7

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