Abstract

ABSTRACT Fragments with vibrant colors and attractive textures in poultry house litter may be consumed considering that the confinement environment does not offer many opportunities for the development of the birds’s natural behavior. Control and quality programs aiming to reduce and to eliminate the consumption of materials from the construction of sheds have been implanted. However, it is necessary to develop studies for a better understanding of the bird’s ingestive behavior and the consequences for their health, welfare and productivity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of broilers exposed to metal, wood, glass and plastic fragments at different concentrations and sizes added to the poultry house litter and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. A total of 360 birds were distributed in a completely randomized design over a 2x3 factorial scheme (2 fragment sizes: 2 to 7 mm and 5 to 8 mm and 3 concentrations: 0.1, 0.5 and 1%), totaling 6 treatments and 5 replicates. The fragments used were glass, wood, metal and plastic, in respective concentrations and sizes, distributed in the poultry house litter. The supply of fragments or the accidental occurrence of similar fragments to which were analyzed in this study concerning the poultry house litter, with different sizes, colors and textures does not compromise the integrity of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and the welfare of the birds.

Highlights

  • The fast development of Brazilian broiler industry has led Brazil to the ranking of the world’s leading producers, mainly due to the favorable climatic conditions and comparative advantages found in the Brazilian territory (Waker & Nääs, 2018)

  • The partnership between industry and poultry farmers has contributed to technical excellence at all stages of the production chain, resulting in reduced transaction costs and quality that meets the demands of the world (Nääs et al, 2015)

  • The goal of this paper was to evaluate the ingestion behavior of broilers exposed to metal, wood, glass and plastic fragments at different concentrations and sizes added to the poultry house litter and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract of the broilers

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Summary

Introduction

The fast development of Brazilian broiler industry has led Brazil to the ranking of the world’s leading producers, mainly due to the favorable climatic conditions and comparative advantages found in the Brazilian territory (Waker & Nääs, 2018). Factors such as quality, sanity and price have contributed to improving productivity in the industry. There is an increasing concern of the consumers with food quality, from the decrease of health risk, the content and the benefits, presence of pesticide residues and other precursors of diseases, to the use of genetically modified raw materials and the operation and manipulation of the products (Pilleco et al, 2012). Consumers began to get in touch with the subject of animal welfare through media, highlighting the improvement of product’s quality from animal breeding, because the meat from well-treated animals from birth to slaughter will undoubtedly present better appearance, eRBCA-2020-1414

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