Haematological values of Udah and Yankasa sheep in the Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria.

Haematological values of Yankasa and Udah sheep were determined in three clinically healthy flocks and a fourth flock with mixed helminthiasis, predominantly haemonchosis. Values for Hb, PCV, RBC and WBC from the healthy flocks were similar. They were, however, lower than reported values for sheep in temperate zones except the WBC values which were higher. These parameters were lower in the infected flock and had a wider spread. It was concluded that haematological values from the clinically healthy flocks could serve as a baseline for interpreting haematological data from diseased local sheep. It is suggested that management and health status are more important than breed for differences in haematological values.