Abstract
Infrared thermography (IR) is a non-invasive tool with potential to indicate changes in the animal’s thermal conditions in response to the thermally stressful environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the application of IR to estimate the rectal temperature of crossbred goats of the Boer breed. Six male crossbred goats of the Boer breed were distributed in a completely randomized design and submitted to temperatures of 26, 30 and 34 °C. Rectal temperature (RT) and thermograms data were collected from animals at each air temperature evaluated. In the thermograms, the temperatures of the ocular globe (PT), head (HT), shoulder (ST), hindquarter (HQ) and maximum infrared (IRMax) of the animals’ surfaces were collected, the latter being observed in the lower region of the animals’ eyes, at all air temperatures evaluated. The correlation of PT, HT, ST, HQ and IRMax data with the RT was evaluated through the Pearson coefficient analysis and the concordance using Bland-Altman diagrams. With the exception of the IRMax surface temperature, the others were adequate for the accurate estimation of RT, with PT standing out for presenting the highest correlation coefficient with RT (r = 0.951) and estimation errors varying in the range of ± 0.27 °C.
Highlights
IntroductionThe exploration of beef goats is a potential activity, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, because they are rustic animals and adapted to the specific climatic conditions of these regions
The exploration of beef goats is a potential activity, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, because they are rustic animals and adapted to the specific climatic conditions of these regions. When they are exposed to high air temperatures, their production potential is reduced due to stimuli of the peripheral receptors and the corporeal nucleus that are sent to the specific centers of the hypothalamus for the activation of evaporative and nonevaporative cooling systems altering the operation of the appetite control center
The increase in rectal temperature indicates that thermoregulatory mechanisms are not being efficient for the dissipation of metabolic heat produced, this method in most cases requires that the animals be handled directly by the experimenter
Summary
The exploration of beef goats is a potential activity, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, because they are rustic animals and adapted to the specific climatic conditions of these regions. When they are exposed to high air temperatures, their production potential is reduced due to stimuli of the peripheral receptors and the corporeal nucleus that are sent to the specific centers of the hypothalamus for the activation of evaporative and nonevaporative cooling systems altering the operation of the appetite control center. The increase in rectal temperature indicates that thermoregulatory mechanisms are not being efficient for the dissipation of metabolic heat produced, this method in most cases requires that the animals be handled directly by the experimenter. Among the existing methods, infrared thermography (IR) can be highlighted that has good precision and dispenses direct contact with the individuals, presenting a high potential both for the development of research as for the monitoring of animals at the farm
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