Fernanda Campos de Sousa

Análise de imagens digitais para a avaliação do comportamento de pintainhos de corte

The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of young chickens in the first two weeks of life through digital images processing, for the determination of the best condition of animal welfare. The experiment was accomplished at two buildings with furnace with indirect air heating, used for creation of 15,200 broiler chickens by building, during one single productive cycle. For the production of digital images, two video cameras were installed by building. One of the cameras had an inclination of 45o and the other a 90o in relation to the ground. The images were analyzed for each daily climatic condition. Then, they were binarized and processed through grouping/dispersion descriptor and correlated with the values of temperature of the air. Correlation was observed between the descriptor and the values of temperature of the air. Images obtained by the camera positioned at 45o had the highest correlation. From the data obtained can be observed that the grouping/dispersion and the behavior of the young chickens can be used as indicator of the states of thermal comfort and that the descriptor was efficient for the quantification.

Study Of Comfort Temperature For Broilers Up To 21 Days Of Age

Due to changes in genetics and nutrition, as well in climatization of broiler chickens to Brazil climate, temperature values currently accepted as optimal may be outdated. The objective of this research was to update the environment temperature that characterize the thermal comfort for broilers chickens from 01 to 21 days of age, under Brazilian production conditions. This research was conducted with 600 COBB birds, which were distributed in five growth chambers maintained at different temperatures during the first three weeks of age. During the experimental period, temperature values were progressively reduced, constituting of five treatments: T2724-21, T3027-24, T3330-27, T3633-30, T3936-33. It was observed that the birds maintained in the T3027-24 treatment presented better performance compared to other environment conditions. Based on the obtained regression models, the environment temperature values that provide the greater weighing gain for the broiler chicken grow in the initial period were 31.3, 25.5 and 21.8°C, respectively for the first, second and third week of age.

Determination Of The Bands For Thermal Comfort Of Broiler Different Ages

This research took place, in order to evaluate and establish a truly representative range of thermal comfort for different ages of broilers acclimatized under Brazilian conditions, as well as the influence of different temperatures of cold stress and heat in the initial creation (warm-up period poultry) on the final performance of birds subjected to different conditions of comfort or heat stress (a situation which almost invariably occurs in natural conditions in Brazil). The work was conducted in five chambers located in AMBIAGRO - DEA/UFV, with male Cobb broilers, were conducted in two phases: first phase with 600 birds from 1 to 21 days old and the second phase with 240 birds from 21 to 42 days old. In the first phase identified the influence of five different thermal environmental conditions on performance of birds at the age of 1 to 21 days, thus constituting five treatments: thermal comfort hither to advocated in the literature for the first three weeks of life for birds, two levels of heat stress, two levels of cold stress, as well as the influence of different treatments of the first phase of his general behavior at the end of its period of creation. In the second experimental phase birds were redistributed so that birds of each of the five treatments of the first phase were subjected to a situation called for thermal comfort and two levels of heat stress for 12 hours of the day, thus, 15 new treatments. During the night all birds were kept in a thermal comfort environment. Parameters were evaluated animal performance (feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion and carcass). In general, birds kept at temperatures of 30, 27 and 24°C, as already seen in literature caused by cold stress during the first three weeks of life, respectively, performed better than those exposed to other situations, indicating this would be desirable ambient temperature to the authoring environment for birds in its early stages. Likewise, when subjected to thermal comfort recommended during the second phase of life, these birds had better performance than those originating from other treatments, including those that remained at room temperature as recommended thermal comfort throughout the experimental period. Based on regression analysis of the results of performance, it can be concluded that the comfort temperature for broilers in the first three weeks of life are 31.3°C in the first week, between 26.3 and 27.1°C in the second weeks and between 22.5 and 23.2 °C in the third week, and that the temperature at which the bird is exposed in the first stage of life affects the final performance of the lot.