Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient Among Thermo-Physiological and Haematological Parameters of Nigerian Goats

This experiment was conducted to study the relationships among thermo-physiological and haematological parameters of Nigerian goats. A total of 36 weaner goats of two breeds (West African dwarf, n=18; 9 males + 9 females) and Red Sokoto goats, n=18; 9 males + 9 females) of about 3-4 months of age were sourced for the experiment which lasted for 8 weeks. The thermo-physiological parameters include rectal temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, heat stress index while the haematological parameters include packed cell volume, red blood cell, white blood cell, haemoglobin, platelets, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocyets and eosinophils. The data collected were analysed using Statistix Analytical software, file version 8.0. The results showed varied degrees of correlations with the highest correlation coefficient (r=0.637) found between pulse rate and respiratory rate for thermo-physiological parameters and that of haematological parameters showed that the highest correlation coefficient (r =0.991) was obtained between packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (HB) followed by packed cell volume and red blood cell (r =0.887). Pearson’s correlation coefficients among thermo-physiological and haematological parameters in Nigerian goats reveal complex interrelationships and understanding these correlations is crucial for assessing the health and physiological status of Nigerian goats.

Keywords: Pearson’s correlation, thermo-physiological, haematological, Nigerian goats.