Abstract
Simple SummaryThis project monitored the internal micro-environments of live poultry transport trailers during loading and transport. For the 28 trips evaluated, trailers were modified using common USA industry mitigation practices designed to optimize bird comfort under a wide range of environmental conditions. In the cold season, double boarding of the exterior area of the transport modules elevated the internal temperature more than 8 °C above ambient temperatures as low as −16 °C. However, the temperature elevation may not be sufficient when ambient temperature was below 0 °C. In the warm season, surface wetting of birds and evaporative cooling applied during on-farm loading maintained trailer thermal conditions at or below ambient temperature for part of the road transport. However, this study suggests that additional improvement in equipment design or management is warranted when temperatures are extremely cold or hot.This observational study was conducted to characterize the thermal micro- climate that broilers experienced in commercial poultry transporters under various weather conditions and typical management practices in the South Central USA. We continuously monitored temperature and relative humidity in 45 interior locations of 28 fully-loaded commercial trailers over 2 year spans from 2015–2016 in South Central USA. In the cold season, double boarding of the exterior area of the transport modules maintained temperatures at least 8 °C warmer than ambient temperatures as low as −16 °C. Overall, temperature at all locations decreased as transporters traveled from farms to processing plants during winter trips with double boards. In the hot season, assistance by evaporative cooling during on-farm loading resulted in interior temperatures within ± 2 °C of ambient conditions (up to 36 °C) during road transport. In the summer months, trailers uniformly gained 2 °C as vehicles travelled for 45 min from farms to plants. Apparent equivalent temperatures of the monitored summer trips averaged 80.5 °C, indicating possible heat stress conditions based on the thermal comfort zones defined by literature index values. For longer trips, cooling assistance on the farms may be insufficient to prevent temperatures from rising further into extremely hot conditions in the transporters, leading to a dangerous thermal environment.
Highlights
Market broilers face a variety of stresses, including feed and water withdrawal, vehicle vibration, and noise during live hauls from farms to processing plants
Burlinguette et al [8] reported a near-uniform temperature profile for trailers when ambient temperature was in the range of 8 to 11 °C operated in temperature profile for trailers when ambient temperature was in the range of 8 to 11 ◦ C operated in Saskatoon, Canada
Weather-dependent management employed by companies, including side boards attached on the open area of modules in winter and fan trailers with mists used during loading in summer, were analyzed for their effect on altering micro-environment of the trailers
Summary
Market broilers face a variety of stresses, including feed and water withdrawal, vehicle vibration, and noise during live hauls from farms to processing plants. The welfare of the birds may be compromised either by a combination of air air movement, low ambient temperatures (T) and winter precipitation that may cause cold stress, or movement, low ambient temperatures (T) and winter precipitation that may cause cold stress, or the the more prevalent problem of heat stress during transport [3]. In a Canadian study, the of poultry in transportation in either field or lab conditions [1,6,7,8,10]. Burlinguette et al [8] reported a near-uniform internal body temperatures in broiler chickens [11,12]. When roll-up-style tarpaulin side curtains and most roof vents were
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