Gerald Nwachi Akpa

Ahmadu Bello University | ABU · Department of Animal Science

One hundred donkeys were sampled from each of Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara and Kebbi State to make a total of 700 sample size for characterization of domestic donkeys in North- West Nigeria using coat colour and hair types among Red (Auraki), Black (Duni), White (Fari) and Brown (Idabari) strains of donkeys. Coat colour and hair t...

The morphological traits of 594 indigenous goats comprised of 316 and 279 Red Sokoto goat (RSG) and West African dwarf (WAD) goats, respectively, were measured to determine the presence or otherwise of sexual dimorphism in the morphological characteristics of the two indigenous goats. The morphological traits measured were body length (BL), withers...

Clumping structure of yearling body weight among sheep of Northern Nigeria and their crosses was investigated using cluster analysis. Body weights of 65 yearling sheep were also analyzed using General Linear Model procedure of SAS. Distances were used to construct dendrogram using the Unweighted Pairs Group Method Analysis implemented in R 2.13.0 p...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the growth performance of heat stressed rabbits fed diets supplemented with synthetic and organic antioxidants. The antioxidants used were bicarbonate buffers, vitamin C and baobab fruit pulp meal (BFPM). A total of thirty (30) growing rabbits were used. The rabbits were allotted into the treatment groups with s...

indigenous chickens. They include Normal feathered (N), Naked neck (Na) and Frizzle feathered (F) and their crosses with NAPRIX to form crosses of Normal X NAPRIX (NNPX), Naked neck X NAPRIX (NaNPX) and Frizzle X NAPRIX (FNPX) to evaluate their potentials for genetic improvement of body weight. Body weight and biometric traits at 28, 56 and 84 days...

This study is aimed at investigating the genetic variability of the West African Dwarf goat of South Western Nigeria. Tissue samples from sixty (60) West African Dwarf goat were genotyped using 25 Microsatellite Markers as proposed by FAO and ISAG. All the Markers were highly polymorphic with allele numbers ranging from 3 (ILSTS005) to 19 (BM6444),...

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of season on haematological profiles of lambs in Northern Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria. Blood samples (5ml) were collected from 76 lambs from the mixed flock of Balami, Uda, Yankasa sheep and their crosses through the jugular vein. The data obtained were analysed using General Linear Model procedure...

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between body measurements and semen characteristics in Kano Brown bucks (KBB). Twenty (20), twelve (12) months old KBB with an average body weight of 12.3 kg were used. The animals were randomly allocated to 5 treatments (n = 4 animals per treatment) in a completely randomized design. Data were co...

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of baobab fruit pulp meal on semen characteristics and morphology of rabbit bucks during hot season in Nigeria. A total of 25 bucks of 10-12 months old were used. There were five (5) rabbits per group grouped as follows; T1 (control) and T2 -T5 (Diets with graded levels of baobab fruit pulp meal...

Studies were conducted to evolution the feeding value of rice straw (RS) supplemented with varying levels of pigeon pea forage (PPF)as dry season feed for yearling Yankasa ewes. Twent yearling ewes with an average live weight of 15.02kg were randomly assigned to four treatments. Five ewes ner treatment comprising a basal RS diet fed ad libiitium (0...

Themorphological traits of 594 indigenous goats comprised of 316 and 279 Red Sokoto goat (RSG) and West African dwarf (WAD) goats, respectively, were measured to determine the presence or otherwise of sexual dimorphism in the morphological characteristics of the two indigenous goats. The morphological traitsmeasured were body length (BL), withers h...

The aimof the studywas to evaluate the growth performance of heat stressed rabbits fed diets supplemented with synthetic and organic antioxidants. The antioxidants used were bicarbonate buffers, vitamin C and baobab fruit pulp meal (BFPM). A total of thirty (30) growing rabbits were used. The rabbits were allotted into the treatment groups with six...

A study was conducted to determine the effect of supplementing rice straw with pigeon pea forage on rumen and blood metabolites of Yankasa sheep. Sixteen yearling Yankasa ewes were used for the study. A completely randomized design was used with four animals per treatment. A basal rice straw diet was provided ad libitum and pigeon pea forage supple...

Pre-weaning growth trait of sheep of Northern Nigerian (Balami, Uda and Yankasa) subjected to diallel crossing were estimated using 127 lambs. The study was conducted at National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Zaria, Nigeria. Blood (5ml) samples were collected from ewes and rams that produce the lambs to evaluate the effect of parent...

In order to estimate the future breeding potential of a livestock breed, it is necessary to estimate the level of genetic diversity within the breed. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the phenotypic and genotypic variability within the West African dwarf (WAD) goats and a non-descript goat population. The WAD goats were obtained from Bodi...

Biometric traits were used to determine the relationship among Red (Auraki), Black (Duni), White (Fari), Brown (Idabari) and Brown-white (Idabari-fari) for weaners donkeys. A total of 210 weaners donkeys were used for the study. Morphometric measures taken were head length, head width, ear length, neck length, neck circumference, shoulder width, he...

The research was designed to evaluate the variations in haematological parameters of Nigerian indigenous chickens as affected by genetic group and sex with the aim of investigating the possibility of using haematological parameters as a candidate marker in selection and improvement programs. A total of 601 chicks were hatched from a diallel crossin...

The udder conformation and milk yield characteristics of agropastoral goats were evaluated using records obtained from a total of 250 does at two locations (Jigawa and Katsina States) over a period of one year. The udder conformation characteristics measured were udder circumference(UC), udder height (UH), distance between teats (DT), teat length (...

A study was conducted to determine the effect of hemoglobin (Hb-type) and potassium (k-type) types on milk yield characteristics of Agropastoral goats. Records were obtained from a total of 250 does over a period of one year. The milk yield characteristics were initial milk yield (IY), average daily yield (ADY), initial yield (IY), peak day (PD), p...

The study investigated the improvement in genetic evaluation of fertility traits of dairy cows using single trait models and multiple-trait models that combined information on milk composition and milk yield traits. Data on fertility and milk production records of 61 Friesian x Bunaji cows were used for this study. Four fertility traits; days to fi...

A total of 202, 272 and 256 records for purebred, crossbred and reciprocal-crossbred male and female rabbits, of three breeds Chinchilla (CHC), Californian White (CAW) and New Zealand White (NZW) were used in this study. The aim of the study was to estimate maternal, direct additive and heterotic effects for carcass characteristics in order to iden...

A total of 202, 272 and 256 records for purebred, crossbred and reciprocal-crossbred male and female rabbits, of three breeds Chinchilla (CHC), Californian White (CAW) and New Zealand White (NZW) were used in this study. The aim of the study was to estimate maternal, direct additive and heterotic effects for carcass characteristics in order to iden...

A total of 101 randomly selected birds from a population of 601 birds (obtained from a 3×3 diallel mating system involving normal, frizzle and naked neck Nigerian indigenous chickens) were used to evaluate the effects of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) polymorphism on bodyweight. Blood samples for DNA analysis were collected at 20 weeks of age...

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of body condition score (BCS) on milk yield and fertility of Friesian x Bunaji dairy cows. Calving and insemination records of sixty Friesian x Bunaji dairy cows were used to calculate the fertility traits. The fertility traits were days to first insemination (DFI), days open (DO), number of ins...

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of bi-carbonate buffer, vitamin C and baobab fruit pulp meal on thermoregulatory response of growing rabbit during hot season. A total of thirty (30) weaned rabbits were used. The rabbits were randomly allotted into the experimental treatments of five treatment groups with six (6) rabbits per tr...

Body weight (BW) and body linear measurements notably body length (BL), heart girth (HG), ear length (EL), tail length (TL), nose to shoulder (NTS) and shoulder to tail (STT) of 528 rabbits were analyzed at 6, 8 and 10 weeks of age. Three genotypes of sire and dam: Chinchilla (CHC), Californian white (CAW) and New Zealand white (NZW), 3 parities an...

A total of 200 goats and 25 microsatellite markers proposed by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the International Society for Animal Genetics (FAO-ISAG) were used to determine the genetic diversity of three breeds of the Nigerian indigenous goats, namely Sahel (60), Red Sokoto (60), West African Dwarf (60) and one strain; Kano Brown (20)....

To evaluate heterosis, reciprocal effect, general and specific combining abilities for bodyweight, a diallel crossing experiment was conducted using three genotypes of Nigerian indigenous chickens: normal (N), frizzle (F) and naked-neck (Na). A total of 601 chicks was hatched from all possible matings between the three genotypes. The chicks used in...

This study is aimed at investigating the genetic variability of the West African Dwarf goat of South Western Nigeria. Tissue samples from sixty (60) West African Dwarf goat were genotyped using 25 Microsatellite Markers as proposed by FAO and ISAG. All the Markers were highly polymorphic with allele numbers ranging from 3 (ILSTS005) to 19 (BM6444),...

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of season on haematological profiles of lambs in Northern Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria. Blood samples (5ml) were collected from 76 lambs from the mixed flock of Balami, Uda, Yankasa sheep and their crosses through the jugular vein. The data obtained were analysed using General Linear Model procedure...

This study was conducted to identify the potential milk composition variables that could be used as indicator traits for reproductive performance in dairy cows. Milk composition measures and fertility traits {days to first insemination (DFI), days open (DO), Non-return rate 56 days after first insemination (NRR56) and numbers of insemination per co...

In an effort to further augment available literatures on correlated analysis of morphometric traits, a study was carried out using equal number from different breeds across age groups to evaluate the effect of age on correlated analysis of body morphometric traits in some Nigerian goats. Equal numbers of breed (Red Sokoto, Sahel and WAD), sex (Male...

A total of 200 goats and 25 microsatellite markers proposed by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the International Society for Animal Genetics (FAO-ISAG) were used to determine the genetic diversity of three breeds of the Nigerian indigenous goats, namely Sahel (60), Red Sokoto (60), West African Dwarf (60) and one strain; Kano Brown (20)....

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potentials of using changes in milk protein content (dmPc) as indicator of energy balance and fertility in dairy cows. Milk samples and fertility traits of 13primiparous and 47 multiparous (F1) Friesian x Bunaji dairy cows were analyzed. Four fertility traits: days to first insemination (DFI), days open...

Data on growth and linear body measurements of rabbits which consisted of two pure strains (New Zealand White, NZW and Chinchilla, CH) as well as their reciprocal crosses were compared. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the crossbreeding effects (i.e direct, maternal and heterotic effects) for growth and linear body dimensions as well as bo...

Complete diallel experiment was carried out involving three rabbit breeds (Chinchilla {CHC}, New Zealand White {NZW} and Californian White {CAW}). Data on post weaning average body weight gain were analysed by complete diallel analysis after first been corrected for significant effects of season of birth and sex of animal using the least squares co...

*Kabir1, M., Akpa1, G.N., Nwagu2, B.I. Adeyinka2, I.A. Shehu3, D.M., Galadima3, M.A. and Yahaya4, H.K. Complete diallel experiment was carried out involving three rabbit breeds (Chinchilla {CHC}, New Zealand White {NZW} and Californian White {CAW}). Data on post weaning average body weight gain were analysed by complete diallel analysis after fir...

One hundred and thirty rabbits were used to evaluate the effect of genotype, gestation length, season, parity and sex on growth traits of two breeds of rabbit and their crosses. The rabbit used for the experiment were breeds of the New Zealand White (NZW) and Chinchilla (CH) breed. Six breeding bucks (three/breed) and eighteen breeding does (nine/b...

Variable selection and dimension reduction are major prerequisites for reliable multivariate regression analysis. Most a times, many variables used as independent variables in a multiple regression display high degree of correlations. This problem is known as multicollinearity. Absence of multicollinearity is essential for multiple regression model...

Data from 13 primaparous and 47 multiparous Friesian-Bunaji (F 1) crossbred cows were used to evaluate the reproductive performance of Friesian x Bunaji dairy cows. Four fertility traits; days to first insemination (DFI), days open (DO), Non-return rate 56 days after first insemination (NRR56) and numbers of insemination per conception (NIC) were a...

An experiment was conducted to estimate heritability from sire variance component (h2S) and repeatability (R) for production traits in purebred Chinchilla (CHC), California White (CAW) and their crosses (CHC x CAW).Data on 188 purebred progeny from the populations of Chinchilla (CHC) and California White (CAW) breeds and on 244 crossbred progeny (C...

A total of 65 Yankasa, 23 Uda and 16 Balami ewes were mated to 4 Yankasa, 3 Uda and 3 Balami rams in a diallel breeding pattern to produce 192 lambs within 9 genotypes, which were used to study survivability of lambs in relation to their dam's haemoglobin variants.Blood samples (5ml) were collected from 104 ewes and 10 rams through jugular venepunc...

Three breeds of sheep (Balami, Uda and Yankasa) that are found predominantly in Northern Nigeria were bred to produce pure breed lambs which were used to generate predict ion equations for body weight of lambs at various ages. Body weight and linear measurements of lambs were recorded at birth, 90, 180 and 360 days. Step-wise regression procedure o...

The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contexts will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instruction, formulae and analysis should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or cos...

The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contexts will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instruction, formulae and analysis should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or cos...

The research was conducted on the dairy herd of National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Shika-Nigeria, to evaluation the nutritional status of Friesian x Bunaji dairy herd based on milk composition analysis. Milk samples were analysed weekly for percentage milk fat, protein and lactose for 120 days. These milk composition variables w...

The study was conducted to determine the relationship between semen cation concentrations, semen characteristics, testicular measurements and body conformation traits using 31 Red Sokoto bucks at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The body condition was scored on a scale of 1...

This study was conducted to determine the distribution frequency and the association of haemoglobin types with head profile, coat colour, and sex in smallholder goats of Abuja, Nigeria. The sex, coat colour and head profile were assessed by visual appraisal. The coat colour was categorized as dark brown (DB), brown (BR) and black (BL), while the he...

The study was conducted to determine the influence of age, hair type and body condition score on body and testicular measurements, and semen characteristics using 31 Red Sokoto bucks. The ages of the bucks were categorized into four; 9-12, 13-16, 17-20 and 21-24 months. The hair types which were determined through touching and feeling were categori...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of haemoglobin (Hb) types, sex and age on adaptive and blood biochemical characteristics of Red Sokoto goats. Ninety four (94) goats were sampled from two locations: Dei-dei and Gwagwalada grazing reserved, Abuja. Data were collected on adaptive characteristics {heart rate (HR) and rectal temperature(...

A survey of 20 Fulani households in Zaria and environs revealed that the maximum and minimum herd size of Fulani cattle holdings in Zaria was 69 and 16, respectively, with the mean herd size of 42. The cattle stock composition showed a gender imbalance, with a preponderance of the female stock than males. On the average, female animals constitute 6...

This Study was conducted at the rabbitry unit of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, with a view to utilize California White (CAW), Chinchilla (CHC) and New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits in a diallel cross to evaluate general and specific combining abilities, as well as maternal and reciprocal effects on litter performance. Data collected from 202 purebre...

This Study was conducted at the rabbitry unit of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, with a view to utilize California White (CAW), Chinchilla (CHC) and New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits in a diallel cross to evaluate general and specific combining abilities, as well as maternal and reciprocal effects on litter performance. Data collected from 202 purebre...

The effects of Age of dam at calving, Sex of calf, Breed, Sire, month of calving and season of lactation on linear body conformation traits was investigated in the dairy herd of the National Animal Production Research Institute, Shika Zaria, Nigeria. Seven linear body conformation traits of 25 Bunaji and 25 crossbred (Friesian x Bunaji) cows were m...

The aim of this research is to analyse the semen of different breeds of rabbits and to determine the effects of age, breed, sire, generation and body weight on the ejaculate characteristics of rabbit bucks. Twenty rabbit bucks comprising of three breeds (New-Zealand White 8, Chinchilla 6 and Californian White 6) between the ages of 6-9 months were...

Blood samples were collected in a heparinized test tubes from 94 smallholder goats in Abuja. The blood samples collected were analysed by electrophoresis to study the Haemoglobin polymorphism and its distribution in smallholder goat herds of Abuja, Nigeria. The electrophoretic test showed the presence of three co-dominant alleles HbA, HbB and HbC w...

Introduction The morphologic appearance of sperm cells is a major criterion in semen evaluation. It is the most important qualitative characteristics of semen (Kuster et al., 2004). It may be the basic indicator for predicting the fertilizing ability of spermatozoa (Lukas-Zewiez, 1998). Sperm morphology can serve as an indicator of some disorders i...

The study was conducted to determine the relationships between body measurements, scrotal and seminal characteristics using 62 Yankasa rams at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Body measurements related positively with testicular measurements (0.40-0.83). Body (0.27-0.48) an...

The parity and litter size of 116 does from 22 randomly selected herds were surveyed to determine the relationship between herd size, parity and litter size of smallholder goat herds. The study revealed that the average parity and litter size of smallholder goat herds was 2.7 and 1.7, respectively with a herd size of 15.0 goats. Majority of the bre...

Absract. This study was conducted to determine the effect of hemoglobin(Hb) type, breed, sex and season of calving on milk yield characteristics of Bunaji and Friesian x Bunaji cows. The experimental animals consisted of 24 Bunaji and 26 (F1) cross bred (Friesian x Bunaji) cows. The milk yield characteristics were initial milk yield (IMY), end of l...

Genetic parameters for conformation traits of Bunaji cows are presented in this study. Data from 50 Bunaji cows collected between 2007 and 2008 at the Dairy Research Farm, National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Shika, Zaria was used. Analyzed conformation traits includes 7 body conformation traits: stature (ST), chest width (CW), wi...

Alphonsus, c., Akpa, G.N., Oni, O.O., Rekwot, P.I., Barje, P.P. and Yashim, S.M. 2010. Relationship of linear conformation traits with bodyweight, body condition score and milk yield in Friesian × Bunaji cows. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 38: 97–100.To study the relationship of linear body measurements with body weight, body condition score and milk yields...

Effect of genotype and birth weight on gestation length was evaluated using Nigerian breeds of sheep and their crosses. The study was carried out at the Sheep Project Unit of Small Ruminant Research Programme (SRRP) of National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Ahmadu Bello University, Shika-Zaria. The sheep breeds used were Balami, Uda...

Matings within pure male and female lines, and between pure male and female lines were carried out to produce purebred male line (AA x AA), female line (BB x BB), cross (AA x BB) and reciprocal cross (BB x AA). A total number of 364 pullets arising from 207 hens and 23 cocks in generation 1 and 440 pullets from 70 hens and 10 cocks in generation 2...

The effect of rearing method (mixed sex, separate males and separate females) on the growth and performance characteristics of broiler birds was studied from day old to 18 weeks of age. The method of rearing had significant effect (P<0.05) on all the growth characteristics (live weight, weight gain, and rate of increase in live weight and weight ga...

A total of 52 bulls from 20 white Fulani herds were evaluated for their breeding soundness using structural body and scrotal measurements. The body measurements include stature, body length, withers height, heart girth and body condition score, while the scrotal measurements were scrotal length and scrotal circumference. The results revealed that t...

Fifty-eight (58) goat herds were randomly selected in Kano state and survey to evaluate the smallholder goat herd structure and incidence of supernumerary teat. The results revealed that the herd size of the smallholder goat in the study area ranged from 4 to 30 with the mean herd size of 11.6. Within the herds, there were more adult (67%) than you...

Data on measures of growth (birth weight, body weight (BW), height-at-withers (HW), body length (BL) and heart girth (HG)) were taken in 1000 Red Sokoto goat kids belonging to smallholder farmers in Kano and environs. The data collected were analyzed to determine the effect of dam parity on measures of growth of kids at 1, 3, 6, and 9 month of age....

The effect of rearing method (mixed sex, separate males and separate females) on the growth characteristics of broiler birds was studied from day old to 18 weeks of age. Method of rearing had significant effect (P<0.05) on all the growth and performance characteristics (live weight, weight gain, and rate of increase in live weight and weight gain)...