The importance of determination of haematology reference values cannot be overemphasized as the changes in some of the blood cell parameters are of clinical importance. This study evaluated the haematology reference values in apparently healthy Nigerian Balami Sheep and determined the influence of sex on the haematological parameters. A total of 200 apparently healthy sheep consisting of 100 males (rams) and 100 females (ewes) at Sokoto modern abattoir were used for the study. Blood for the study was collected by jugular venipuncture and all the haematological determinations followed standard procedures. The overall mean for the blood cell parameters were: packed cell volume (PCV) % 32.46 ± 1.08, total red blood cell count (total RBC) (×103/mm3) 12.07 ± 1.03, haemoglobin concentration (Hgb) (g/dl) -13.8 ± 1.01, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (fL) 26.89 ± 4.07, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) (pg) 11.43 ± 2.30, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (g/L) 42.55±0.5. The PCV of the females were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of the males. it can be concluded that the hematological parameters for sheep studied fall within normal range with slight variation.

Keywords: Abattoir. Haematology, Reference values, Sex, Sheep