IMPACT OF HEAT STRESS AND EXTREME TEMPERATURE ON LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN YOBE STATE

The study aimed to identify impact of heat stress and extreme temperature on livestock production in Yobe state. Purposive sampling technique was used to select study villages across Yobe state. Thereby sampling 180 respondents for structured interviews. A guideline for temperature requirement for livestock production in the drylands was compared with actual monthly temperature recorded in the determination of monthly temporal condition and status of livestock in the area.  A checklist was used to guide the Focus Group Discussion. FGDs were conducted in each of the six (6) study villages, where some experienced agropastoralists were selected based on their long years of experienced and was analyzed using thematic analysis in the area of study. The finding reveals that livestock experience heat stress during April, May, and June due to temperatures exceeding 40°C, impact their productivity and health. The animals also face cold stress in January, February, and December, except for beef cows that experience normal cold ((36°C -39°C based on the requirement). conditions. The months of March and October have required normal temperature of 21°C - 39°C, while July and November temperature was a bit colder (25°C - 36°C and 19°C - 36°C respectively) for dairy cows, sheep, and goats with exception of beef cow that experienced normal temperature based on its requirement. The finding based on the FGD reveals that heat stress reduces feed intake, milk yield, body weight, and reproductive performance, and increases disease occurrence. It was concluded that, climate variability (extreme temperature) had significantly affected livestock production in Yobe State, Nigeria, with heat stress being a major obstacle to animal growth and development. It was also recommended that there is need for the pastoralists to seriously, implement heat stress mitigation strategies such as by providing shade, using cooling systems, and adopt early morning grazing to reduce heat stress as well as preventive veterinary in the area.