Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb
Abstract
Blood samples were obtained from 178 indigenous pigeons, comprising 103 males and 75 females, with the aim of determining the effect of season and sex on their packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) and total proteins (TP) using routine laboratory procedures. The samples were obtained during the harmattan, hot and rainy seasons. Correlation coefficients between meteorological elements and PCV, Hb as well as TP, were negative during the hot season. The highest PCV and Hb values of 37.50 ± 1.23 (%) and 129.0 ± 03.0 g/L, respectively, were obtained during the rainy season, while the lowest PCV and Hb values of 29.12 ± 0.88 % and 97.2 ± 2.9 g/L, respectively, were obtained during the hot season. The TP values of 78.2 ± 13.0 g/L and 82.5 ± 10.0 g/L obtained during the hot and rainy seasons, respectively, were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the value of 64.5 ± 3.3 g/L obtained during the harmattan season. PCV and Hb values were higher (P<0.01) in male than in female pigeons during the three seasons. The results show seasonal and sex variations in PCV, Hb and TP values of indigenous pigeons. In conclusion, the rainy and harmattan seasons are apparently more conducive to the rearing of pigeons than the hot season in the Northern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria.Istraživanje je provedeno na 178 autohtonih golubova, a među njima 103 mužjaka i 75 ženki, kako bi se odredio utjecaj godišnjeg doba i spola na ukupan broj stanica, količinu hemoglobina i ukupnih bjelančevina. Golubovima je vađena krv u doba harmatana, kao i tijekom sušnog i kišnog razdoblja. Istraživanjem je potvrđen negativni korelacijski koeficijent između meteoroloških uvjeta i ukupnog broja stanica u krvi, hemoglobina i ukupnih bjelančevina tijekom sušnog razdoblja. Najveći broj stanica (37 ± 1,23%) te vrijednosti hemoglobina (129,0 ± 3,0 g/L) je dokazan u kišnom razdoblju. Najmanji broj stanica (29,12 ± 0,88%) kao i vrijednosti hemoglobina (97,2 ± 2,9 g/L) utvrđen je u tijeku sušnog razdoblja. Vrijednosti ukupnih bjelančevina (78,2 ± 13,0 g/L) u tijeku sušna razdoblja te 82,5 ± 10,0 g/L tijekom kišnog razdoblja bile su značajno različite (P<0,05) u odnosu na vrijednost (64,5 ± 3,3 g/L) utvrđenu u tijeku razdoblja harmatana. Ukupan broj stanica i količina hemoglobina bili su veći (P<0,01) u mužjaka tijekom svih razdoblja. Analizom dobivenih rezultata može se zaključiti da je kišno razdoblje kao i razdoblje harmatana mnogo pogodnije za uzgoja golubova nego sušno razdoblje na području sjeverne gvinejske savanske zone Nigerije
