https://journals.ui.edu.ng/index.php/tapi <p>Tropical Animal Production Investigations is an official journal of the Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Nigeria. It is a peer-reviewed scientific journal with specific focus on the promotion of the science of animals. The journal is intended to serve the needs of researchers and professionals from the scientific community and industry, as well as of policy makers and regulators. It covers a diverse, interdisciplinary range of topics that is unique in breadth and depth. The journal contains original research papers and critical reviews in all areas of Animal investigations including case reports highlighting important developments in the fields of Animal science and livestock industries. Topics covered include Animal nutrition, feed and feedstuffs including pastures and range management, toxicology, animal breeding and genetics, animal physiology, reproduction and bioclimatology, animal products and processing, animal management and production (monogastric and ruminants), animal behavior and welfare, dairy science, fisheries and aquaculture, animal health and mini/micro livestock investigations</p> Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Nigeria en-US Tropical Animal Production Investigations https://journals.ui.edu.ng/index.php/tapi/article/view/1651 <p>This study investigated the effect of season on the haematological and biochemical parameters of 100 (50 male and 50 female) apparently healthy growing West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep with an average weight of 12.25kg reared semi intensively. Blood samples were collected fortnightly throughout the 9-months experimental period. Haematological and biochemical parameters in blood were measured and analyzed separately for both seasons. Means of parameters measured between the male and female sheep for both seasons were compared using one way analysis of variance. The results showed that all haematological and biochemical parameters measured did not differ significantly during the dry season. However, in the rainy season, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and the mean corpuscular haemoglobin were significantly (p&lt;0.05) different, with rams having a higher value than females. All parameters measured however, were within the normal range for WAD sheep. It can be concluded that within the seasons, sexual differences did not influence serum chemistry and the health status of WAD sheep.</p> Olafimihan B. J Yusuf A. O Arotiba E. O Ibrahim O. W Akpowu O. M. Ogunmefun F. T. Copyright (c) 2025 2025-07-04 2025-07-04 28 1 01 06 https://journals.ui.edu.ng/index.php/tapi/article/view/1775 <p>Semen analysis is vital for evaluating male reproductive status, especially in artificial insemination and fertility management of farm animals. In this study, semen quality collected from twelve New Zealand rabbits (<em>Oryctolagus cuniculus</em>) was assessed using three treatments: Treatment one was (semen with 100% tris-egg yolk), which served as the control; treatment two was (semen with 50% tris-egg yolk extender + 50% apple juice), and treatment three was (semen with 50% tris-egg yolk extender + 50% orange juice). Key parameters measured included spermatozoa, progressive motility, Average Path Velocity (APV), Curvilinear Velocity (VCL), Straight-line Velocity (VSL), linearity, livability, straightness, and Amplitude of Lateral Head (ALH). Results showed significant differences (p&lt;0.05) at a 1:1 dilution ratio. The orange juice extender yielded the highest values for motility (92.67%), progressive motility (78.67%), and livability (93.92%), which was better the control tris-egg yolk extender, which had lower values (66.00, 48.33 and 92.41% respectively). However, increasing the dilution ratio to 1:2 caused a decline in semen quality across all parameters. Motility and progressive motility dropped to 76.67% and 66.33% with the orange juice extender, and even lower with the tris-egg yolk extender (48.00 and 35.50%). In conclusion, incorporating apple and orange juices into semen extender can enhance spermatozoa motility and overall semen quality in rabbits. Nonetheless, optimizing the dilution ratio is crucial to avoid quality reduction. These findings offer valuable insights for improving male fertility, reproductive efficiency, and productivity in rabbit farming and animal production.</p> Alaba, O. Araloyin, J. O. Copyright (c) 2025 2025-07-10 2025-07-10 28 1 7 13