Haematology and faecal parasitic load of West African Dwarf goats fed Panicum maximum supplemented with wheat offal

Abstract

The haematology and faecal parasitic load of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats fed Panicum maximum supplemented with wheat offal (WO) at varying levels of supplement were investigated. Sixteen (16) WAD goats aged between 6-9 months were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments viz: T1 – Panicum maximum ad  libitum only (PM); T2 – PM + 200g/d WO; T 3 – PM+ 225g/d WO; T4 – PM + 250g/d   WO in a completely randomized design. Results show there were no significant differences (P>0.05) in the hematological parameters (pre- vs post-trial) for Packed cell volume (PCV), Lymphocytes (L), Neutrophils (N) and Monocytes (M) vs. Total White Blood Cell (TWBC), L and N. There was an increased post-trial hematological over pre-trial hematological parameters for PCV, N and M while a decrease was observed for L in animals across the treatments. Animals on T recorded the highest 3 values for PCV (21.83 %), TWBC (19.10 x 10³/mm³), L (64.50 %), M (2.50 %) and Eosinophils (E) (1.50 %). For faecal parasitic Egg Count (FPEC), animals on T 1 recorded the highest values for Coccidia oocysts (7.33, 11.66 and 11.33 egg/g), tapeworm (28.66 and 6.00 egg/g) and E. coli (50.33 cfu/g) assessed during the three months except for tapeworm segment at month two (5.00 egg/g). At the third month, tapeworm segment decreased when compared with the first month while Coccidia oocysts increased except for animals on T which decreased. With wheat offal 3 supplementation, WAD buck goats appeared to be capable of increasing PCV and N counts as worm and E. coli decreased when compared with those fed solely on Panicum maximum forage.

Key words: Goats; Haematology; Panicum maximum; Wheat offal; Worm counts