Thermal stress on chickens in transit

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Agricultural Engineering
• Environmental Physiology

Background:

• Poultry transport subjects birds to thermal stress.
• Accurate simulation of heat exchange is crucial for understanding transport conditions.
• Existing methods for assessing transport environments lack direct heat exchange measurement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an artificial chicken model ('Gloria') for simulating poultry heat exchange during transport.
• To assess the thermal environments within different transport modules (enclosed vs. open).
• To estimate the thermal stress experienced by poultry under various transport conditions.

Main Methods:

• Constructed 'Gloria' artificial chicken to mimic poultry insulation and heat exchange.
• Tested 'Gloria' in wind tunnels and during actual vehicle transport in enclosed (A) and open (B) modules.
• Measured temperature differences and air movement inside vehicles.
• Compared 'Gloria's' heat loss data with published poultry thermoregulation data.

Main Results:

• 'Gloria' demonstrated insulation properties comparable to live poultry.
• Type A modules showed higher temperature differentials (14.0°C stationary, 7.6°C motion) than Type B (8.8°C stationary, 6.0°C motion).
• Air movement was significantly lower in Type A (0.5 m/s) compared to Type B (3.3 m/s).
• Thermal comfort for poultry is achievable under very specific conditions (e.g., 7-8°C in enclosed modules for well-feathered birds).

Conclusions:

• Poultry transport environments often present thermal challenges, with optimal comfort conditions being rare.
• Controlling air movement within transport vehicles is key to ensuring poultry thermal comfort across a broad range of ambient temperatures.
• The 'Gloria' model provides a valuable tool for evaluating and improving poultry transport conditions to mitigate thermal stress.