Abstract

Objectives: The study investigated the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of growing Yankasa rams fed maize cob treated with various non-protein nitrogen sources and soybean meal. Methods: Twenty-four Yankasa rams, weighing approximately 11 +- 02 kg and aged between 5 to 8 months, were utilized for the study, they were allotted into 6 treatments of 4 rams each in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD). Each animal received a daily allocation of 300g of supplement and basal diets, divided into two servings provided at 8:00 am and 3:00 pm. The experimental diets were analysed for their proximate composition using the methods of AOAC, 2000) The experiment lasted for 90 days. Results: The results showed that packed cell volume ranged from 24.54 - 30.44% and were significantly (P<0.05) different, the white blood cell count values were between 8.32 - 9.01 x 103 ul and were not significantly different. Furthermore, the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration was significantly (P<0.05) elevated in the groups fed with Soya bean unensiled, Urea ensiled, and Poultry litter ensiled compared to those fed with poultry litter unensiled, Soya bean meal ensiled, and poultry litter unensiled. However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in mean corpuscular haemoglobin between poultry litter ensiled (35.73pg) and unensiled (30.63pg), except for ALP, GPT, and blood glucose levels..Urea values ranged from 8.67 - 11.13 mmol/l and showed significant (P<0.05) difference.. Values for alkaline phosphate fell between 256.23 - 414.37 u/l and were significantly different. Conclusions: Treatments of maize cobs with different non-protein nitrogen sources and soybean meal did not adversely affect the haematology and serum biochemical parameters of the growing Yankasa rams. It is suggested that urea, poultry litter, and soybean meal could serve as additional feed resources to mitigate dry season feed shortages and reduce feeding costs for small ruminants.