A Study on Gastrointestinal Tract of Bardhoka Autochthonous Sheep Breed in Kosovo

ABSTRACT The Bardhoka sheep breed, also known as Dukagjini white sheep (Ovis aries), is considered to be a medium‐sized sheep that is a typical grazing ruminant. The aim of this study was to investigate and measure the parameters of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Bardhoka sheep to determine the morphometry, volume, ratio and surface areas of its different parts. The GIT of eight adult healthy Bardhoka sheep with an average body mass (BM) of 57.63 kg, aged from one to three years, was evaluated immediately after slaughter. Descriptive statistics, including mean values, standard deviations, coefficients of variation and correlations, were calculated using SPSS (version 22). Detailed measurements of the forestomach and intestines were described. The full and empty average weight of the GIT was approximately 23.92% and 5.64% of BM, respectively. The weight of the rumenoreticulum tissue, after removing the content, was about 2.02% of BM. The percentages of the small and large intestines, full and empty, were about 12.28% and 21.55%, and 14.25% and 24.31% of the GIT, respectively. These percentages were 2.94%, 1.24%, 3.45% and 1.37% of the BM, respectively. The allometry ratio of the total intestinal length, small intestine and large intestine to the average BM was 0.68, 0.53 and 0.15, respectively. The length ratio between the small and large intestines was 1:3.54, while the full weight ratio between the two segments of the intestine was 1:1.15 in favour of the large intestine. In conclusion, this study detailed the morphometry parameters of all GIT parts of Bardhoka sheep. This study can serve as a basis for comparative studies and as a database for other similar research.