Impact of Environmental Stressors on the Performance of Backyard Poultry

Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of different climatic parameters on production performance of Vanaraja poultry birds under deep litter system of rearing. The experiment was carried out at the hatchery unit of Bihar Veterinary College, Patna. A total of 129 birds were used for the study. Different climatic parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and temperature–humidity index were studied. Based upon average daily dry and wet bulb temperatures, temperature–humidity index values of the shed were calculated. The evaluation of egg production rate and external and internal egg quality traits at different climatic parameters was carried out. The overall average temperature, relative humidity, temperature–humidity index in different months of Bihar ranged from 16.67 ± 0.23 to 33.08 ± 0.28, from 46.60 ± 2.40 to 90.20 ± 1.12 and from 64.84 ± 0.30 to 85.94 ± 0.38, respectively. Egg production, fertility, hatchability on total egg set and on fertile egg set was significantly lower at the temperature–humidity index range from 85.53 ± 0.18 to 85.94 ± 0.38 (May–August). temperature–humidity index values inside the shed in the month of May–August suggested that the birds were in stress during the experiment. However, there was negligible effect of temperature–humidity index on egg quality. It was concluded that during the extremes of temperature–humidity index (>85) the performance of the Vanaraja birds in terms of egg production was less.