How to relieve heat stress in broiler chickens? A detailed guide to practical measures
With the development of intensive poultry farming, there are more and more stress factors. Especially during high-temperature periods, normal stress is most prominent, exceeding the broiler chicken's own thermoregulatory capacity, and the resulting series of responses is called heat stress. Under conditions of high temperature and high stocking density, heat stress occurs fairly commonly, normal immunity declines, and the morbidity and mortality rates rise, bringing huge losses to broiler farming. So how should heat stress be relieved? Let's take a look together.
1. Pay attention to drinking water
In heat stress of broiler chickens, water intake is an extremely important factor. During heat stress, more than 80% of the heat produced by broiler chickens is dissipated through evaporation, and water intake can increase the survival rate. Increasing the intake of saline water or lowering the water temperature can both reduce the heat stress response. Adding salt to drinking water and the drinking water temperature have an obvious complementary effect. But when the drinking water temperature is lower than the broiler chicken's body temperature, and an appropriate amount of salt is added, water intake and growth rate can be significantly improved, and heat stress can be relieved very well.
2. Reduce stocking density
Before the high-temperature season arrives, some flock thinning should be carried out according to the rearing method through reasonable regrouping, merging of flocks, and culling, and an appropriate stocking density should be arranged. Floor-reared flocks should not be too large, and activities such as regrouping and transport should be avoided as much as possible. If they must be carried out, they should also be done on cloudy days or in the cool morning and evening.
3. Strengthen ventilation
Increase the ventilation of the chicken house and reduce solar radiation. This can start with the building materials of the chicken house, using materials with good insulation performance; fiberboard can be used to suspend a ceiling, the walls can be painted white, and trees, lawns, and so on can be planted around the chicken house. These measures help reduce the entry of external radiant heat into the chicken house. Modern chicken farms are fairly intensive, so doing a good job of ventilation and cooling inside the house is an important point in preventing heat stress in broiler chickens. The simplest ventilation method is to install electric fans. When the chicken house is below 40°C, increasing the air speed helps the flock dissipate heat. In addition, sprinkling water or misting devices can be used on the roof of the chicken house, which can increase evaporative heat loss from the roof and ease the transfer of heat from the roof into the house.
4. Reasonably adjust the nutritional level
Reducing the protein content in the diet while maintaining the required amino acid levels can improve the growth rate and survival rate of broiler chickens. Fat is the nutrient with the lowest heat increment. Appropriately adjusting the ratio of essential fatty acids in the feed and using fat to replace part of the carbohydrates to increase the energy concentration of the feed can improve the adaptability of broiler chickens during heat stress. In addition, during heat stress in broiler chickens, the excretion of various minerals increases, so they need to be supplemented in a timely manner to meet the body's needs and relieve the adverse reactions caused by heat stress.
The above is an introduction to measures for relieving heat stress in broiler chickens. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.