Effect of cooled perches on physiological parameters of caged White Leghorn hens exposed to cyclic heat

Hu, Jiaying; Hester, Patricia Y.; Makagon, Maja M.; Xiong, Yijie; Gates, Richard S.; Cheng, Hsiaopo

doi:10.3382/ps/pez012

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…The amount of feed was weighed before adding to the trough, and the feed left in the trough and bucket was weighted at the end of each analysis week. The average daily feed intake per hen was calculated as: (Total kg feed in -kg feed left)/7 days/2 birds (Hu et al, 2019b).…”

Section: Physical and Physiological Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Warm Perches: A Novel Approach For Reducing Cold Stress Effect on Production, Plasma Hormones, and Immunity in Laying Hens

Cheng

2021

Preprint

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Background: Cold temperature is a common environmental stressor that has a great impact on the poultry industries, inducing pathophysiological stress in birds with profound economic losses. Current methods used for preventing cold stress, such as reducing ventilation and using gas heaters, are facing challenges due to poor indoor air quality and its deleterious effects on bird and caretaker health. The aim of this study was to examine if the novelly designed warmed perch system, as a thermal device, can reduce cold stress-associated adverse effects on laying hens. Methods: Seventy-two 32-week-old DeKalb hens were randomly assigned to 36 cages arranged to 3 banks. The banks were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: cages with warmed perches (WP; perches with circulating water at 30 oC), air perches (AP, regular perches only) or no perches (NP) for a 21- day trial. The room temperature was set at 10 oC during the entire experimental period. Rectal temperature and body weight were measured from the same bird of each cage at day 1, 8, 15, and 21 during the cold exposure. Egg production was recorded daily. Feed intake, egg and eggshell quality were determined during the 1st and 3rd week of cold stress. Plasma levels of corticosterone, thyroid hormones (3, 3’, 5-triiodothyronine and thyroxine), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10, were determined at day 1 and 21 post initiation of cold exposure. Results: Compared to both AP and NP hens, WP hens were able to maintain their body temperature without increasing feed intake and losing body weight. The eggs laid by WP hens had thicker eggshell during the 3rd week of cold exposure. Warmed perch hens also had a lower thyroxine conversion rate (3, 3’, 5-triiodothyronine/thyroxine) at day 1, while higher plasma concentrations of IL-6 at day 21. Plasma levels of corticosterone, 3, 3’, 5-triiodothyronine, and IL-10 were not different among treatments. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the warmed perch system can be used as a novel thermal device for preventing cold stress-induced negative effects on hen health and welfare through regulating innate immunity and metabolic hormonal homeostasis.

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Section: Physical and Physiological Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The shell with intact shell membranes was rinsed with water and dried at 60 o C. The dried shell weight was recorded. Shell thickness and % shell mass were determined as described by Hu et al (2019b).…”

Section: Egg Production and Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Warm Perches: A Novel Approach For Reducing Cold Stress Effect on Production, Plasma Hormones, and Immunity in Laying Hens

Cheng

2021

Preprint

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“…That heat stress increased the blood H/L ratio in Brown layer hens was consistent with our plasma biochemistry observations that the Brown strain was more susceptible to the adverse effects of heat stress than the White strain. An elevated H/L ratio is expected in stressed hens, including in heat-stressed birds, and is thought to be a consequence of acute inflammatory responses to infectious, as well as noninfectious, causes [22]. The type and intensity of the immune response depends on the environmental and genetic factors, as well as the physiological status of the animal.…”

Section: Hematological Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heat stress can reduce the immune response of birds by suppressing the production of antibodies [18][19][20]. The exposure of chickens to heat can also increase plasma corticosterone and decrease mineral levels, as well as cause a reduction in the activity and performance of lymphoid organs and total leukocytic count [21,22]. Examining the heat blood parameters and leukocyte numbers may provide useful clinical indicators of how birds respond to prebiotic supplements and heat stress and their interactions in long-term production settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Seaweed, Heat Stress and Genetic Strain on Performance, Plasma Biochemical and Hematological Parameters in Laying Hens

Borzouie

Rathgeber

Stupart

et al. 2020

Animals

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This study was planned to investigate the effects of seaweed supplementation, genetic strain, heat stress and their interactions on laying hen performances, blood chemistry and hematology. In a short-term trial, laying hens of the two genetic lines Lohman LSL-Lite (White) and Lohman Brown-Lite (Brown) were supplemented with Chondrus crispus (CC) at 3% for 21 days, while a control group was not. In a long-term trial, the same two strains were assigned to control (0%), 3% red seaweed Chondrus crispus (CC) or 0.5% brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (AN)-supplemented diets for 41 weeks, concluding with a four-week control or heat-stress period. The White hens displayed higher egg production and a lower feed/egg ratio. The short-term inclusion of CC significantly reduced the feed intake, weight gain and feed/egg ratio. The long-term seaweed intake affected the plasma albumin and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (p < 0.05), and there were significant strain-heat stress interactions; heat stress in the Brown birds was associated with reduced protein, globulin and glucose and increased cholesterol and GGT levels and higher heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratios (p < 0.05) in response to heat stress (p < 0.05). In conclusion, a long-term seaweed supplementation affected the plasma protein and enzyme profiles, yet had little effect on hen leukocyte counts and the overall performance.

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“…We recently conducted a multi-year study using a perch system to examine the effects of water-cooled perches as a cooling alternative on hen performance, plumage condition, foot health, and physiological and behavioral parameters of caged White Leghorn hens exposed to acute and chronic cyclic heat stress events (Cheng et al, 2013;Gates et al, 2014;Hester et al, 2013;Hu et al, 2016Hu et al, , 2019aHu et al, , 2019bHu et al, , 2019c. The results for hens housed in the cooled perch (CP) treatment were compared to that of a non-cooled, air perch (AP) treatment, and no perch (control).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Performance of an Experimental Cooled Perch System for Heat Stress Relief of Laying Hens

Xiong¹,

Gates²,

Hu³

et al. 2020

Transactions of the ASABE

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This article summarizes the design and performance of a cooled perch system for laying hens during heat stress.Water flow rates, perch loop water temperatures, and system net heat gain are provided.The average daily net heat absorption data, useful for sizing thermal water storage and chiller capacity in future applications, is 256 W m-1 perch length, or 43.2 W per hen housed.This analysis provides a baseline for future cooled perch system design in other application settings.Abstract. This article summarizes the engineering design and performance of a cooled perch system used in a multi-year collaborative study to evaluate cooled perch effects on hen production, health, and welfare during heat stress. The cooled perch system consisted of two replicates (CP-1 and CP-2) of three-tier cage units with galvanized perch pipes forming a complete loop in each tier (top, middle, bottom) in which chilled water circulated. A total of 324 White Leghorns at 17 weeks of age were randomly assigned to 36 cages (76 cm × 52 cm × 48 cm) in six banks placed in the same room. Flow for each loop was provided by loop pumps that drew chilled water from an open thermal storage manifold and returned it to the same manifold. Each thermal storage was cooled by continuously circulating water through a water chiller. Each loop pump was thermostatically controlled based on the cage air temperature. The water inlet and outlet temperatures, cage air temperatures, and loop water flow rates during stable system operation were measured for performance evaluation. Mean water flow rates in 2015 were 5.19 and 5.45 kg min-1 for CP-1 and CP-2, respectively, but significantly declined to 3.91 and 4.03 kg min-1 in 2016. The mean loop water temperature rise was about 2°C for both replicates. The mean loop net heat gain of CP-1 and CP-2 ranged from 690 to 850 W and from 551 to 1,298 W, respectively, with a significant difference between CP-2 loops (p < 0.0001), indicating a discrepancy between the manufacturer’s pump curve and field performance. There was a correlation between room air temperature and net heat gain for all loops of CP-1 and the top loop of CP-2 (p < 0.0001), suggesting that natural convection and radiation from the room to the pipe were the major contributors to loop heat gain. The average daily net heat gain was approximately 2,334 W per replicate, 256 W m-1 perch length, or 43.2 W per hen housed. This analysis provides a baseline for future cooled perch system design in other application settings. An example is provided for sizing the thermal water storage and chiller capacity. In addition, a closed water system with a properly sized expansion tank is recommended for future energy-efficient cooled perch applications. Keywords: Alternative cooling, Heat stress, Heat transfer, Poultry.

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Effect of cooled perches on physiological parameters of caged White Leghorn hens exposed to cyclic heat

Cited by 14 publications

References 80 publications

Warm Perches: A Novel Approach For Reducing Cold Stress Effect on Production, Plasma Hormones, and Immunity in Laying Hens

Warm Perches: A Novel Approach For Reducing Cold Stress Effect on Production, Plasma Hormones, and Immunity in Laying Hens

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Seaweed, Heat Stress and Genetic Strain on Performance, Plasma Biochemical and Hematological Parameters in Laying Hens

Design and Performance of an Experimental Cooled Perch System for Heat Stress Relief of Laying Hens

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