The effect of age on haematological studies in ostrich (Struthio camelus)

Abstract

Blood samples were collected from 56, 60 and 64-week old ostriches (8 birds per age group) from a private farm (Crossgee Farms) and the haematological profiles in the plasma of the birds determined. The White Blood Cells (WBC) counts significantly (P < 0.05) decreased with increase in age. The WBC counts for 56-week old ostriches were higher than that for the 64-week olds (96.78 x 109/L versus 84.3 x 109/L), with an overall mean total count of 90.77 x 109/L. The Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by age. The 64 weeks old ostriches had a higher value than the 60 weeks old ostriches (105.20 fL versus 81.29 fL). The overall mean MCV level was 94.21 fL. Lymphocyte, granulocytes, red blood cells, Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), platelets, haemoglobin and packed cell volume were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by age. Results from this study demonstrate that age influences the WBC and MCV of the African Black Ostrich reared under humid tropical conditions as prevailing in Ghana.