Thermal environment of masonry-walled poultry house in the initial life stage of broilers

Coelho, Diogo José de Rezende; Tinôco, I. F. F.; Souza, Cecília Pereira de; Baptista, F.J.; Barbari, Matteo; Oliveira, Kelle P.

doi:10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v23n3p203-208

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Our results showed that birds had different welfare levels, although the internal environmental conditions were within the regulatory limits for intensive chicken production systems. Coelho et al ( 48 ) highlighted the importance of careful attention to the environmental conditions in intensive poultry production systems, especially in tropical climates, because external climate interacts differently with internal environmental conditions. The variation allowed for the investigation of how welfare assessment conducted on field related to immunological indicators obtained from blood samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will the white blood cells tell? A potential novel tool to assess broiler chicken welfare

Ribeiro,

Sans,

Santos

et al. 2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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This study assessed qualitative and quantitative leukocyte evaluation as potential broiler chicken welfare indicators, contributing to the limited literature on white blood cell (WBC) morphology as a diagnostic tool for welfare. Broiler chicken welfare within four poultry houses (PH) 1 to 4, each on a different farm, was assessed using on-field indicators of affective states and health, and WBC morphology was examined. Affective states were evaluated using the Qualitative Behavior Assessment (QBA), with 25 behavioral expressions scored on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and grouped into two categories. Health indicators included assessments of lameness, footpad dermatitis, dermatitis on the breast and abdominal areas, hock burn, and feather cleaning. Blood samples were collected, differential leukocyte counts were performed, and a cell score was created for the recognition, classification, and interpretation of morphologic diversity of heterophils and lymphocytes. The heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L) was also determined. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear models for binomial responses were used to analyze the results. PH4 differed from the other farms, showing a higher frequency of birds within QBA group 1 (‘Attentive’to ‘Desperate’), while birds in PH1, PH2, and PH3 were more frequent in QBA group 2 (‘Relaxed’ to ‘Positively occupied’). Elevated proportions of heterophils in birds from PH4 (0.61, CI95%: 0.58; 0.64) and PH3 (0.60, CI95%: 0.57; 0.63) suggested higher stress levels and inflammatory responses. Birds in PH2 and PH4 exhibited higher frequencies of health issues such as dermatitis and lameness, and higher proportions of abnormalities in WBC number and morphology. PH3 and PH4 exhibited higher H/L ratios of 3.03 and 2.58, respectively, consistent with the on-field health and behavioral indicators. Blood samples from birds in PH2 and PH4 showed a proportion of 90% toxic change in heterophils, while in PH1 and PH3 it was 70%, indicating high levels of abnormal WBC morphology across all PHs. The findings emphasize the multifactorial nature of welfare impairments, including environmental conditions, health, and affective states. This highlights the need for indicators that reflect multiple welfare impacts, such as WBC counts and morphological alterations, which can serve as powerful tools in the complex task of assessing animal welfare.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will the white blood cells tell? A potential novel tool to assess broiler chicken welfare

Ribeiro,

Sans,

Santos

et al. 2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…The air dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity observed in the spatial dependence maps inside the CPC and FOG broiler houses indicate the vulnerability of these facilities to heat conditions, possibly due to a failure in thermal insulation and sealing. Thermal insulation is inefficient in many Brazilian broiler houses, mainly due to the higher initial building cost (COELHO et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effects of weather events and thermal vulnerability of broiler houses are more significant in broilers older than 28 days, requiring the maximum capacity of cooling systems (CHEPETE et al, 2005;MARCHINI et al, 2007;ABREU et al, 2012;CASSUCE et al, 2013;COUMOU & ROBINSON, 2013). The occurrence of climatic extremes requires efficient cooling systems to maintain thermal comfort conditions inside the broiler house (OSORIO et al, 2016;SANTOS et al, 2017;COELHO et al, 2019). Tunnel ventilation (in positive or negative pressure) and cooling systems are alternatives for controlling the airspeed and the inside relative humidity (RH) in facilities (BUCKLIN et al, 2009;SALAS et al, 2016), thus mitigating the effects of heat stress in broilers by the loss of convective and latent heat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficiency of cooling systems in broiler houses during hot days

et al. 2021

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This study evaluated: (1) the vulnerability of broiler houses with different cooling systems, and (2) the spatial distribution of environmental variables during hot days. Four potentially vulnerable commercial broiler houses in southern Brazil were selected according to the following parameters: absence or presence of different cooling systems, broilers older than 28 days, and outside air dry-bulb temperature over 30°C. Broiler house vulnerability was classified according to the cooling and mechanical ventilation system: cellulose pad cooling (CPC), sprinkling (SPK), fogging (FOG), and mechanical ventilation without evaporative cooling system (VTL). The air dry-bulb temperature (Tdb, °C) and relative humidity (RH, %) were recorded every 10 min. For each broiler house, we evaluated: (1) relative cooling efficiency (RCE) and (2) inside spatial distribution of microclimate variables using a geostatistical technique. The CPC and SPK did not differ (P<0.05) in RCE (81.6% and 80.7%, respectively), but both differed from FOG (23.8%) and VLT (1.87%) systems. The highest variations in indoor Tdb were recorded in the FOG (7 °C), followed by the SPK (4 °C) and CPC (3 °C). In the CPC, there was an increase in RH from the middle to the end of the broiler house near the exhaust fans. In conclusion, the relative cooling efficiency and the inside spatial distributions of environmental variables in the broiler houses were influenced by the existing cooling system.

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“…The weekly life cycles of the birds fluctuate each month, and without heating, cooling, and humidification technology, it becomes unfeasible for the producer to achieve a higher percentage of uniformity in birds ready for slaughter at the end of the seven-week cycle. Coelho et al (2019) suggested that once the optimal ambient temperature for birds is determined, efforts should be made to utilize tools that closely mimic the conditions of an environment with an EC index. This is to enhance their physiological responses and overall performance.…”

Section: /5mentioning

confidence: 99%

Enthalpy as a thermal comfort index in broiler poultry production

Pecoraro,

Gonçalves,

Nunes

et al. 2024

Rev. bras. eng. agríc. ambient.

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Enthalpy is currently suggested as a suitable index for assessing the internal environment of poultry production, primarily dependents on air temperature and relative air humidity. This study aimed to analyze enthalpy in bird production in Londrina, located in the northern region of Paraná, Brazil, and to model the comfort enthalpy required for enhanced production efficiency. Data from 1961 to 2021 from the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, were utilized to compare the thermal comfort conditions and critical limits set for the birds. The meteorological data from this period were scrutinized to understand their variations and interrelationship through a descriptive study and correlation analysis of different parameters. The research findings, based on the enthalpy indices derive historical averages, suggest that heating is crucial for birds during the first and second weeks of housing, during the winter, given the location’s low temperatures. For birds housed during the third to sixth weeks of age, the enthalpy indices indicated the necessity of cooling systems.

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Thermal environment of masonry-walled poultry house in the initial life stage of broilers

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

Will the white blood cells tell? A potential novel tool to assess broiler chicken welfare

Will the white blood cells tell? A potential novel tool to assess broiler chicken welfare

Efficiency of cooling systems in broiler houses during hot days

Enthalpy as a thermal comfort index in broiler poultry production

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