Birds are very sensitive to heat. Indeed, Poultry do not have sweat glands so conduction through comb and feet is very limited. When birds can’t balance heat production and heat loss, they show heat stress signs that can affect its welfare and performance.
When the temperature increases, first heat stress signs appear 🔥♨🌡
• Birds are panting and are keeping themselves isolated from the others
• Reduction of feed intake and water consumption
• Wings lifted away from the body
• Tiredness, lethargic animals
📉Heat stress impacts all physiological parameters
• Water loss
• Slower immune response: susceptible to pathogenic pressure
• Decrease of feed efficiency
• Average Daily Weight Gain reduced
• Detiorated egg and meat quality
• Risk of mortality
🛡How to prevent it ?
• Building management: Insulation, ventilation, house design, density of the flock
• Hydration is key: Supply of electrolytes and nutrients to rebalance water/electrolytes
• Energy supply to relaunch water and feed consumption
• Complete biosecurity protocol to limit environmental pathogen pressure
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