EFFECT OF CONFINEMENT AND SEMI-INTENSIVE SYSTEM OF MANAGEMENT ON THE RECTAL TEMPERATURE OF SHEEP.

Abstract

Twenty (20) non-lactating Yankasa sheep were used in Ten (10) weeks experiment to determine the effect of confinement and semi-intensive management system on body temperature. The animals were dividedinto two treatmentgroups often animalsper treatment, with five replicates and two animalsper replicate using Complete Randomized Design (CRD). The experimental animals were reared under confinement and semi-intensive management systems (TJ and fed yam peel as supplement at the rate of 1800g per animal per day. The rectal temperature was taken twice daily in the morning and evening using a clinical thermometer. The mean body temperature of sheep in T1 and T2 in the morning hours span between 37.17±0.35 to 38.12±0.10 and 37.58±0.30 to 39.17±0.35, respectively. Similarly, from the evening values, it spans between 38.02±0.08 to 38.11±0.12 and 38.21±0.81 to 40.23±0.08 for 7~, and T2, respectively. The environmental temperature of the study area fairly impacted on the variations obtained in the body temperature of the animals under study. It is therefore concluded that semi-intensively managed sheep had significantly higher body temperature values than those under confinement, particularly at the evening periods of the day after grazing. As such, it is recommended that grazing hours of the semi-intensively managed sheep be reduced to atleast four (4) hours in a day.