Haematological and biochemical values of the blood of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) of different ages

This study was conducted to determine selected haematological and biochemical parameters of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) bred in Konya city in Turkey. Forty-five healthy pheasants of different ages (1, 5, and 12 months old) were examined. In the blood samples taken from these animals, haematological and biochemical values were determined. Comparing the haematological and biochemical parameters among the age groups, red blood cell counts, haemoglobin amount, haematocrit values, lymphocyte percentage, and total protein and albumin levels increased with the advancement of age. However, glucose, length and width of erythrocyte, length and width of erythrocyte nucleus, and percentages of monocyte and basophile decreased with the advancement of age. Furthermore, the white blood cell counts of the chick and the adults, the plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride of the adults, and the plasma uric acid levels of the chicks were lower than those of the young pheasants. However, thrombocyte count of the chicks was higher than that of the young pheasants. The other parameters investigated, such as mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, the percentages of heterophils and eosinophils, and the plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, and creatine kinase did not show significant differences related to age. Based on the results, it was concluded that some haematological and biochemical values were influenced by age differences of the pheasants and the data obtained in this study could be useful to establish some baseline values about haematological and biochemical parameters in pheasants. © TÜBİTAK.