No abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the load wetting method to attenuate the ambience of the load the transport of broilers. Fourteen commercial consignments were monitored over a 25 km route, and in seven of these, the load wetting was carried (LW) out while in the other seven no wetting was done (LD). The temperatures of the side, top and rear load boxes were analyzed by infrared thermography. The central row load boxes were evaluated by geostatistics, using temperature variability (TA), relative humidity (RH) and the enthalpy comfort index (ECI). The mean was compared by Student's t-test (P < 0.05). The results showed that load wetting has a momentary effect (P < 0.05). The boxes located in the central rows in the LW showed a higher (P < 0.05) ECI compared to those in the LD. In addition, areas classified as lethal were formed in the LW. In conclusion, load wetting was not an efficient method to attenuate the ambience of load during the commercial transport of broilers, as it only has momentary and transient effects.

The characterization of ventilation during the transport of broiler chickens is essential for identifying and characterizing the potential problems of a convective heat flow and its effects on the welfare and the health and production conditions of the chickens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ventilation patterns in two layout models of a live transport load: conventional (LC) and alternative (LA) with spacers placed between the chicken transport crates. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and wind tunnel tests were performed using small scale models. The results showed that the use of spacers between crates (LA model) modified the ventilation patterns and increased the wind circulation between crates. However, wind tunnel tests simulating a density of eight birds/crate were inconclusive because the ventilation was below the sensitivity of the measuring devices used (0.001 m/s). It can be concluded that the use of spacers between the transport crates can modify the ventilation patterns within the load and increase the air circulation between the crates. However, the internal ventilation within the crates has not changed, suggesting the need for studies on the aerodynamics of a transport crate for poultry use.

No abstract