Fogera cattle are among indigenous breeds of cattle in the northern part of Ethiopia. However, their response to heat stress (HS) under different seasonal variations has not been well investigated. This study was aimed to determine physiological, hematological, biochemical, and growth parameters of Fogera cattle calves to HS during dry season, short rainy, and long rainy. A total of 72 calves (24 for each season) that were 6 months of age with an equal number of males and females were evaluated for physiological, hematological, biochemical, and growth parameters. Daily ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) were recorded two times per day during the study periods from which the daily average temperature-humidity index (THI) was calculated. The study revealed higher AT and THI during dry and short seasons while higher RH was observed during the long rainy season. Physiological parameters except rectal temperature were affected by the seasons. Hematological parameters were also affected by season except for packed cell volume. Biochemical and growth parameters were also significantly affected by the seasons. THI was positively related with physiological but negatively with growth parameters. Thus, the THI value of 66 can be considered as optimum for high weight gain and normal physiological response to HS in Fogera cattle calves under their current production system.
Keywords: biochemical; growth; heat stress; hematological; physiological.