Abstract
Broiler chickens are homoeothermic animals, i.e., animals capable of maintaining their body temperature within quite narrow limits; therefore, climate change poses a great challenge to poultry. With this in mind, this research aims to evaluate the performance of broilers submitted to different commercial production systems and exposed to different future scenarios, taking into account the climate change trends. To achieve this objective, we developed and validated a fuzzy model able to predict the performance of a broiler as a function of enthalpy along its life stages. This model was developed and validated in part I of this article based on experimental data collected for one year in three aviaries: conventional, negative pressure, and dark house systems. A Mann-Kendall nonparametric test and linear regression analysis were applied to the enthalpy values, which were calculated as a function of the ambient air temperature and relative humidity in order to study the climate change trends. Later, simulations were performed using the fuzzy model for 2025, 2050, 2075, and 2100 future scenarios. Specific improvements were observed when the heating trends coincided with the initial stages of breeding; however, in general, the productive responses of broilers in the different evaluated systems worsened with the climate change trends. Faced with the climate change trends, the responses improved in the order dark house aviary > negative pressure aviary> conventional aviary.
Highlights
IntroductionThe high temperature and air relative humidity values in tropical and semi-tropical climates, such as in Brazil, offer thermal discomfort conditions to chickens, decreasing their productive performance (Baracho et al, 2013; Boiago et al, 2013; Lara & Rostagno, 2013; Castro, 2014; Santos et al, 2014)
The output variables correspond to the productive responses of the broilers, food intake (FI), average weight gain (WG), average feed conversion (FC), and productive efficiency index (PEI)
Even with occasional improvements due to the effects of the heating trends of these months on the breeding stage, it is observed that there was a worsening in productive responses in the different evaluated systems. This reinforces the need for artificial thermal conditioning systems and the use of materials with greater thermal inertia, as well as their correct management, which would allow for a reduction in the thermal environment variations inside the aviaries and, the problems related to thermal discomfort (Santos et al, 2014)
Summary
The high temperature and air relative humidity values in tropical and semi-tropical climates, such as in Brazil, offer thermal discomfort conditions to chickens, decreasing their productive performance (Baracho et al, 2013; Boiago et al, 2013; Lara & Rostagno, 2013; Castro, 2014; Santos et al, 2014). Received in: 7-11-2018 Accepted in: 10-29-2018 homoeothermic animals, i.e., animals able to maintain their body temperature within quite narrow limits, suffer considerable productive losses when the thermal environment exceeds their comfort limits (Baracho et al, 2013; Boiago et al, 2013; Lara & Rostagno, 2013; Castro, 2014; Santos et al, 2014). Silva & Streck (2014) evaluated the climate change for the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through its monthly
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