Abstract

This study has conducted to find out the effect of using an aqueous extract of basil seeds, vitamin
C, and selenium in some blood parameters of Iraqi Awassi sheep. Twenty Awasi sheep aged
between 9-10 months, with an average weight of between 25.7 - 27.9 kg, were used in this study.
An experiment has distributed into five groups, and each group included four ewes of
homogeneous weights, with four repetitions in each group, then the ewes were randomly divided
into totals in the following form: T1 first treatment control ewes were dosed with distilled water
only, T2 second treatment was dosing with vitamin C at a concentration (250 mg/ kg/ day), T3
third treatment was dosing with selenium at a concentration (0.04 mg/ kg/ day), T4 fourth
treatment was dosing with basil seed aqueous extract at a concentration (50 mg/kg/ day), T5 fifth
treatment was dosed with basil seed aqueous extract, vitamin C and selenium and at the above
doses in the second, third and fourth groups, respectively. The results of the statistical analysis
of the fourth and fifth groups showed a significant superiority (p≤0.05) in the total RBC, WBC
and platelets counts, hemoglobin, and Packed cells volume (PCV) compared with the second,
third, fourth and total periods of the experiment. The vitamin C and selenium groups also
significantly outperformed (p≤0.05) in blood characteristics compared to the first treatment in
total RBC, WBC and platelets counts, hemoglobin, and Packed cells volume (PCV) from the
second period of the experiment to the end.