Effects of Coat Colour Pattern on Heat Stress Among West African Dwarf Goat

Background and Objective: West African Dwarf Goats, known for their resilience, are vital to agriculture in these regions. However, heat stress can significantly impact their health, reproduction and productivity. The purpose of this study was to look into the impact of coat color patterns on the physiological, hematological and serum biochemical profiles of West African Dwarf goats exposed to heat stress. Materials and Methods: A 100 WAD goats with different coat colors (black, grey, white and brown) were studied. Environmental conditions were recorded to calculate the temperature humidity index (THI). Rectal temperature, respiratory rate, pulse rate, haematological parameters and serum biochemistry were measured. Temperature and humidity index (THI) was calculated at various environmental conditions prevailing during the study and consequent on this, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed with respect to the different coat colour patterns of WAD goats to heat stress measured. Results: There was a significant (p<0.05) variation in the effects of coat color patterns on thermoregulatory, haematological and serum biochemical variables. When compared to goats with other coat color patterns, all the physiological variables investigated with the majority of these blood parameters were impaired in goats with black coat color patterns. Variations in thermoregulatory, hematological and serum biochemical parameters in goats with black coat colour patterns may have an impact on their productive and reproductive performance in high-temperature situations. Conclusion: The study discovered that coat colour pattern was a critical driver of blood characteristics in high environmental temperatures, which could be attributed to coat pigmentation’s high heat absorbing rate.