The study was conducted to assess the effects of surgical caponisation on growth, carcass and some haematological parameters in cockerel chickens. Sixty (60) apparently healthy day old chicks were randomly distributed into two experimental groups (caponised and un-caponised) of thirty (30) cockerels each. The birds were caponised at the age of eight (8) weeks old and slaughtered at sixteen (16) weeks of age. The means of weekly weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and final body weight in the two groups were not significantly different (p>0.05) except the mean of final body weight that was significantly different (p≤0.05). The mean weights of carcass, eviscerated carcass, hind-limb and fore-limb of the two groups were significantly different (p≤0.05) while that of the breast was not significantly different (p>0.05). The mean weights of the heart, liver and gizzard of the two groups were significantly different (p≤0.05) however the mean weight of the kidney was not (P>0.05). All the mean values of Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin Content (HBC) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) in the two groups were not significantly different (p>0.05) however the White Blood Cells (WBC) was significantly different (p≤0.05). It was concluded that the surgical caponisation of cockerel chickens at eight (8) weeks of age has significant effects on the growth and carcass traits (p≤0.05) except on kidney (p>0.05) and has no significant effects on the haematological parameters (p>0.05) except on WBC (p≤0.05).
Key words: Caponisation, Carcass, Cockerel, Growth, Haematological.
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