Journal of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine

Attempts made to improve pig production have focused more on feed with little or no consideration of the impact of bedding materials, which is a major concern in pig production, not only because it affects pig health and productivity, but also because it may act as a potential reservoir and transmission vehicle for pathogens and potential pathogens. Since blood is considered an important material for the evaluation of health status in animals, there is a need, therefore, to investigate the impact of different bedding materials on the haematological and serum indices of crossbred weaned pigs, reared on concrete, woodshaving and clay floors. Twenty-seven (27) crossbred weaned pigs were used for the study. The treatments were replicated three times each with nine pigs in each treatment. The blood samples were collected at the end of the experiment for haematological and serum indices analysis. Three different bedding materials were used for the experiment, viz, concrete, woodshaving and clay floors. The concrete floor was made from gravel, sand, granite and water, while wood shavings were obtained in dried form from sawmills within Ibadan metropolis and pebbles, dirt, iron metals and broken bottles were removed and spread on the cemented floor to make the woodshaving floor. The clay floor was obtained from a termite hill within the university premises and spread on a cemented floor to make clay floor. The results revealed that there was no significant (p>0.05) difference in the mean value obtained for haematological parameters except white blood cells. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cell and platelet compared favourably with that of the control. The lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes and eosinophils were not affected by the bedding materials, showing that the bedding materials did not adversely affect the health and welfare of the pigs. There was no significant (p>0.05) difference in the total protein, albumin, globulin and albumin/globulin ratio. Serum protein, serum albumin, serum globulin and serum albumin/globulin ratio were not affected by treatments (p>0.05), resulting in a better protein efficiency ratio recorded in all the treatments. The haematological and serum indices recorded in this study showed no notable health challenges in the pigs.