by
David Harrington, Species Leader Poultry, Delacon
From trying to keep chicken houses warm and well-ventilated in the depths of winter when external temperatures are well below freezing to keeping birds cool when outside temperatures and relative temperature creep outside of the comfort zone, thermal stress in poultry production can be challenging to manage.
We often think of thermal stress, particularly heat stress, as a problem
associated with tropical and sub-tropical climates but, while still true, heat
stress is also a problem for temperate climates. Increasingly unpredictable
weather patterns and hot summers could become the norm. Certainly, the evidence
suggests the world is getting hotter. And with it, a risk of heat stress in
poultry producing geographies that typically did not see problems before.
We know temperature extremes can adversely impact poultry production and associated economics, whether it be lost performance, poor egg quality or even death. Which is why strategies for mitigating heat stress are so important. Several chicken breeds are naturally more heat tolerant than others e.g. the New Hampshire Red or Rhode Island Red but these are not necessarily high yielding breeds (meat or eggs) that are required for large scale poultry operations.
So, while genetics is an important factor in heat stress, mitigation strategies use other tools. These tools include house construction and management and feeding strategies e.g. managing water/electrolyte/feed intake, reducing excess protein or vitamin E supplementation, for example. An additional aspect of the feeding strategy is the use of feed additives, and additives based on plants are increasingly popular.
Read more HERE.
From trying to keep chicken houses warm and well-ventilated in the depths of winter when external temperatures are well below freezing to keeping birds cool when outside temperatures and relative temperature creep outside of the comfort zone, thermal stress in poultry production can be challenging to manage.
We know temperature extremes can adversely impact poultry production and associated economics, whether it be lost performance, poor egg quality or even death. Which is why strategies for mitigating heat stress are so important. Several chicken breeds are naturally more heat tolerant than others e.g. the New Hampshire Red or Rhode Island Red but these are not necessarily high yielding breeds (meat or eggs) that are required for large scale poultry operations.
So, while genetics is an important factor in heat stress, mitigation strategies use other tools. These tools include house construction and management and feeding strategies e.g. managing water/electrolyte/feed intake, reducing excess protein or vitamin E supplementation, for example. An additional aspect of the feeding strategy is the use of feed additives, and additives based on plants are increasingly popular.
Read more HERE.
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