Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • FREE Magazine Subscriptions
    •  
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Poultry News
    • Production
      • Broiler Production
      • Ducks
      • Egg Production
      • Game
      • Hatching
      • Housing
      • Turkeys
    • Processing
    • Business & Politics
      • Business
      • Economics
      • EU & Politics
      • Marketing
      • People
      • Training & Education
    • Welfare
      • Environment
      • Food Safety
      • Vet & Medication
      • Welfare
    • Feed
    • Genetics
    • New Products
    • Magazines
      1. June 2022
      2. May 2022
      3. April 2022
      4. February 2022
      5. January 2022
      6. December 2021
      7. November 2021
      Featured

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      By Michael BarkerJune 1, 2022
      Recent

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      June 1, 2022

      Protected: Poultry Business – June 2022

      June 1, 2022

      Protected: Poultry Business – May 2022

      May 6, 2022
    • Jobs
      • Browse Jobs
      • Post a Job
      • Manage Jobs
    • Events
      • National Egg and Poultry Awards
      • Poultry Fair
    Poultry News
    Broiler Production

    Managing the impact of heat stress

    Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanAugust 18, 20214 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    Theso Biolink offers advice on how to manage heat stress in poultry
    The increase in heat becomes a serious concern to farmers, especially for their poultry, as the summer months arrive, and we endure the scorching weather. Temperatures can reach over 30°C during the summer months, causing heat stress in chickens and further interfering with their performance. When a hot temperature is combined with a high level of humidity, the result can be fatal to chickens. Heat stress will not only affect your hens’ performance, but it can also result in mortality and a loss of productivity and economic loss.
    What is heat stress and how does it impact poultry?
    Heat stress can affect any type of poultry at any stage of development. It happens when the bird’s body temperature rises to dangerous levels due to inefficient heat dissipation and a lack of coping mechanisms. As the heat and humidity rises, you can find the behaviour of chickens will change greatly too as they attempt to regulate their body temperature. Birds will open their wings to expose non-feathered areas of the body and pant to cool themselves, but as the temperature rises, so does the rate at which they pant, causing more heat to be generated through muscle activity. To stay cool, chickens will drink more water, but not enough to compensate for the losses caused by respiration and urine excretion.  
    When temperatures are high, poultry consume less food, making life difficult for the birds and resulting in a drop in vitamins and minerals that would otherwise be available through their diet. As a result, birds natural immunity system will be challenged which can increase the risk of diseases which are caused by viral and bacterial vectors, including Salmonellosis, Coccidiosis and E. coli infection.
    Food consumption, body weight, egg production, and meat and egg quality all drop in boilers, which is especially worrying. This is also true for breeders, as short-term fertility in both males and females can affect hatchability. Females will be less inclined for mating, putting them under even more stress. This also applies to males, with the quality of semen being diminished and the volume being reduced, resulting in reproductive concerns. As a result, there are fewer viable eggs and chicks.
    Heat Stress Management
    As the welfare of poultry is the top priority in any production system whether it be broilers, layers or breeders, companies will ensure that they monitor the weather condition well in advance and will manage proactively the schedules. It is still worth noting different ways you can keep your birds cool.
    Air flow control:
    Providing adequate air movement through ventilation is one of the most critical strategies to keep your flock cool. Increased air flow should be a top focus because it will aid in the removal of heat from the birds. To get a ‘buffer’ in internal and external house temperatures, turn your ventilation on to maximum capacity early in the morning. Birds will avoid moving as much as possible in hot conditions, so walking them frequently might assist release any trapped warm air beneath them. Keep in mind that your flock will seek to cooler areas of the house, such as the exterior walls, where the blockwork will be cooler.
    Water management:
    In hot environments, birds will naturally increase their water intake. Therefore, the quality of their water supply during the time of extreme weather is vital. It can become very hot very quickly in the water system, so it is a good idea to flush water lines more regularly as this allows the water systems to be replaced with cooler, fresher and more palatable water.
    You can also supplement your flock’s drinking water with electrolytes. Birds lose various vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, zinc, and potassium, when they are stressed by the heat. By adding electrolytes to your drinker lines, you may help your bird retain any natural losses that occur when it is not eating to its maximum potential.
    Supplementing vitamins, in addition to electrolytes, can help broilers cope with heat stress and reduce mortality. Supplement vitamins can improve egg production and eggshell quality in laying hens, as well as sperm quality in male breeders, when used in poultry breeding.
     
     

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleSupermarket sales fall 4% in 12 weeks
    Next Article Nando’s forced to close restaurants due to staff shortages in chicken supply chain
    Chloe Ryan

    Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

    Read Similar Stories

    Egg Production

    Free-range producers prepare to market eggs as barn as housing order continues

    March 16, 2022
    Egg Production

    Improving eggshell quality

    March 16, 2022
    Broiler Production

    Technical feature: aiding digestion

    March 16, 2022
    Most Read

    Royal Veterinary College joins UK’s top scientists to combat increasing cases of bird flu

    June 23, 2022

    NFU: Government funding for Avian Influenza research is ‘positive step’

    June 23, 2022

    Farmers’ input sought for new animal welfare scheme

    June 22, 2022
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Contractor
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALBCORS7 daysThis cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALB7 daysAWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.
    explat_test_aa_weekly_lohp_2021_week_4517 days 8 hoursNo description
    ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
    tk_ai14 daysGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    tk_qssessionGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_71 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo