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Haematological parameters in hair sheep during two physiological reproductive states in the Amazon region of Ecuador

Abstract:

The purpose of this study are the evaluation and comparison of blood values in analyses of female sheep of the Blackbelly breed which are reared under free-range grazing conditions in the Arosemena Tola Canton in the Napo province in Ecuador. The data are analysed regarding age, breed, sex, and physiological condition. Blood samples from 12 sheep aged between 24 and 36 months were taken at three different points in time with an interval of one month. Erythrocytes, leucocytes, and corpuscular elements were evaluated. The results are examined by means of descriptive statistics and the Student's t-test, and there were no significant (p>0.05) differences in haematocrit values, haemoglobin, and red blood cells between pregnant and non-pregnant females in the first two samples. The third sample shows significant differences in relation to the first two samples; the clinical picture of anaemia is prevalent in all the sheep. This leads to the conclusion that the blood values of hair sheep raised under the conditions described vary, depending on the physiological phase of the reproduction cycle.