EFFECT OF HOUSING AND SEASON ON SEMEN MORPHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES OF UDA RAMS

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Livestock Teaching and Research Farm to evaluate the effect of housing type and season on semen morphological abnormalities in Uda rams. A total of sixty (60) yearling Uda rams were used in this study with twenty (20) rams in each season. Factorial completely randomised design (3x5) was used in this experiment with four (4) of animals representing replicates while five (5) housing types and three (3) season representing the factors (treatments). Four animals was allotted to each housing types with each animal serving as replicate, the housing types are half wall with zinc roofing (HZ), half wall with thatch roofing (HT), full wall with zinc roofing (FZ), full wall with thatch roofing (FT) and finally
natural without wall and roofing (N). Data were collected each season on performance, climatic variables and stress indicators parameters. Animals placed in HT had significantly (P<0.05) higher normal cells in hot season compared to the other treatments. In rainy season higher (P<0.05) anomalies of bent tails was observed in FZ compared to HZ. In cold season the housing type HT had higher (P<0.05) normal cells while those placed under N had higher (P<0.05) number of anomalies of bent tail cells. The study concluded animals in HT housing type and cold season to have better semen.