Abstract
ABSTRACT: 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.
Highlights
The economic and productive efficiencies of poultry are related to facilities and climatic conditions, which can severely affect broilers welfare.Heat stress promotes behavioral (BRANCO et al, 2019), physiological, and biochemical (AHMAD et al, 2008; GHANIMA et al, 2020) changes in broilers, resulting in economic losses (SALAS et al, 2016)
The relative cooling efficiency and the inside spatial distributions of environmental variables in the broiler houses were influenced by the existing cooling system
The vulnerability of broiler houses is influenced by the quality of facilities, type of thermal insulation, conservation state (AL-SULAIMAN, 2002; LIAO & CHIU, 2002; VIGODERIS et al, 2007), and susceptibility of broilers to adapt to weather events
Summary
The economic and productive efficiencies of poultry are related to facilities and climatic conditions, which can severely affect broilers welfare.Heat stress promotes behavioral (BRANCO et al, 2019), physiological, and biochemical (AHMAD et al, 2008; GHANIMA et al, 2020) changes in broilers, resulting in economic losses (SALAS et al, 2016). The economic and productive efficiencies of poultry are related to facilities and climatic conditions, which can severely affect broilers welfare. V.51, n.8, broiler houses that require mitigating actions to ensure productive performance and welfare. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines different climate scenarios (for more information, access: IPCC, 2007, 2012) that can affect the vulnerability and adaptation of the poultry industry to climate change. This vulnerability can be related to the type of facilities and broiler’s age; broiler houses can present different vulnerability situations in extreme climates (WMO, 2013; NAWAB et al, 2018)
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