Maria de Fátima Araújo Vieira

ATUALIZAÇÃO DAS TEMPERATURAS DE CONFORTO TÉRMICO PARA FRANGOS DE CORTE DE ATÉ 21 DIAS DE IDADE

Em decorrencia de alteracoes na genetica e nutricao, bem como na aclimatizacao das aves de corte ao clima do Brasil, as temperaturas atualmente preconizadas como otimas para criacao podem estar defasadas. Objetivou-se com esta pesquisa atualizar os valores de temperatura ambiente que caracterizam o conforto termico para frangos de corte de um a 21 dias de idade, sob condicoes brasileiras de producao. Esta pesquisa foi conduzida com 600 aves da linhagem COBB, que foram distribuidas em cinco câmaras climaticas, mantidas sob diferentes temperaturas, durante as tres primeiras semanas de idade. Durante o periodo experimental, os valores de temperatura media para as semanas de um a tres foram reduzidos progressivamente, constituindo-se de cinco tratamentos: T27/24/21; T30/27/24; T33/30/27; T36/33/30 e T39/36/33. Verificou-se que as aves mantidas sob o tratamento T3027-24 apresentaram melhor desempenho zootecnico quando comparadas as demais condicoes ambientes. Com base nos modelos de regressao obtidos, os valores de temperatura ambiente que proporcionam o maior ganho de peso para o periodo inicial de criacao de frangos de corte foram 31,3; 25,5 e 21,8 oC, respectivamente, na primeira, segunda e terceiras semanas de vida dos animais.

Segurança, saúde e ergonomia de trabalhadores em galpões de frangos de corte equipados com diferentes sistemas de abastecimento de ração

The feed supply in poultry houses can be done manually or automatically, to require effort is believed that manual supply could expose the attendant to physical overload. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the ergonomic factors, and effect on posture and biomechanics of workers in poultry houses equipped with manual or automatic feeder. The analyzed factors were: physical work load, thermal environment, noise, lighting, postural analysis and biomechanics. It was found that in the sheds where the food supply system was manual, workers were exposed to greater physical effort. Based on the thermal environment management it was considered heavy for the two supply systems. The postures used in most activities deserve immediate corrective action. The handling in sheds equipped with manual feeder exposes workers to risk of injury in the shoulder, elbow, back, hip, knee and ankle. Thus, it can be concluded that management in poultry facilities equipped with manual feeder can be considered detrimental to the attendant exposing him to health risks and body damage.

Evaluation of the Physical Load and Biomechanics Conditions of Workers in Poultry Houses

Currently, Brazil has stood out to the world market for poultry production. However, beyond the concern with the handling of animals, Brazil is a pioneer in the quest for the welfare of workers in the agricultural sector. Looking diagnose the working conditions for the creation of broilers, the aim of this work was to evaluate the biomechanics conditions and physical demands of work of employees in poultry facilities equipped with automatic or hang up manual feeders. To determine the physical effort it was used a heart rate meter Polar Electro, composed by a digital receiver, an elastic band and a sensor transmitter placed on the workers`s chest. Biomechanical analysis was based on photographic records made with the employees at various angles in addition to the charges involved on a specific activity, which were used as input on the computational two-dimensional biomechanical model for predicting postures. With these data it was observed that the physical load of the employees at the facilities equipped with manual feeders were classified as moderately heavy, while in that ones equipped with automatic feeders the cardiovascular load was classified as mild. With respect to biomechanics, in the facilities with manual feeders, workers were exposed to risk of injury in the shoulder, elbow, back, hip, knee and ankle. Thus, it appears that the facilities equipped with manual feeders are considered unhealthy to workers.

Productive performance of broilers at the final stage of breeding submitted to different levels of metabolizable energy in different thermal environments

The Brazilian poultry industry is an activity in constant development due to the high indices of productive efficiency. The accelerated evolution of poultry production has allowed to obtain early and very efficient broilers able to convert different foods into animal protein. However, due to this intensive breeding system, a series of metabolic and management problems appeared, with emphasis on thermal stress. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physiological responses of broiler chickens in the final stage of breeding (21 to 42 days of life), submitted to two thermal conditions, one representative of the thermoneutrality situation (T1) and one giving a situation of cyclic stress by heat (T2). For each experimental thermal condition, the birds were submitted to different levels of metabolizable energy of 3,050, 3,125, 3,200, 3,275 kcal kg-1. At 28, 35 and 42 days, the birds and the feed leftovers were weighed to measure the performance variables: CR (feed intake), GP (weight gain) and CA (feed conversion), viability of the rearing (Vb), productive efficiency index (PEI). As conclusions, the GP was 13.6% higher for the birds maintained at the thermoneutrality situation T1. The PEI was 32.5% higher for the birds maintained in T1 condition, when compared to those kept in T2. However, both in thermoneutral and in heat stress conditions, the increase in the level of metabolizable energy in the diet did not influence the performance and the productive efficiency index of broiler chickens aged between 21 and 42 days of age.

ANALYSIS OF QUALITY OF HEALTH OF DIFFERENT BROILER LITTER REUSED SEQUENTIALLY

Considering the importance of litter in the poultry industry in Brazil and the enormous pressure on the environmental management regarding the correct use and management of waste generated by the productive sector, we sought to characterize different types of bedding used in the State of Minas Gerais. Aimed to analyze the effect of reuse on the sanitary quality of the beds, and verify if the optimal number of reuses, based on the sanitary point of view, is the same to make compost in the field indicated by studies conducted by Marin (2011). The research was conducted with 32 beds aviaries, checking the sanitary quality by identifying Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Coffee husk reduced about 29 percentage points in the probability of Salmonella occurrence when compared to wood shavings, and had no statistical differences between the cycles of reuse for each substrate. Escherichia coli was identified in all cycles of reuse for both substrate; in the wood shavings were found high levels of concentration in all cycles, while in the coffee husk, these levels only occurred after the second cycle. From the sanitary point of view, the best time to remove the bed of coffee hulls and wood shavings in the aviary occurs respectively at the end of the second and first cycles, coinciding with the results obtained by Marin (2011) to carry out the composting field.

Characterization and analysis of two types of reused broiler litter

The objective of this work was to characterize two different types of broiler litter material (coffee husks and wood shavings) that are commonly used in the Brazilian poultry industry within the State of Minas Gerais, and to evaluate the effect of their reuse on flock performance and physical and sanitary qualities of the litter. A second objective was to determine if the optimal number of reuses, based a sanitary point of view, matches that used for litter field composting, according to the results obtained by Marin (2011). The study was conducted with litter from 32 different broiler houses. Variables measured included litter moisture content, pH level, the incidence of foot pad dermatitis in birds, the sanitary quality through assessments to identify the bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., and productive performance of birds.

Influence of NH3 and CO concentrations on worker health in the poultry industry in Brazil.

The Brazilian poultry industry has reached a place of prominence within agro-industrial activities in Brazil and is currently the largest exporter of chicken in the world. However, due to the new market demands with regards to environmental issues, the animal well-being, food safety, and the diverse conditions of the human work environment need to be improved. All sectors, production, processing, commercialization and consumption, can be benefited. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the NH3 and CO concentration the workers are exposed to during the first three weeks of poultry production. The experiment was carried out in commercial poultry facilities located in Minas Gerais State during the winter. These facilities had firewood systems to heat the environment and three different ventilation systems. The air quality was evaluated by means of the measured NH3 and CO concentration at 3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., and compared to the recommended values by the Regulatory Norms given by the Brazilian Department of Labor and NIOSH norms considering human exposure to these gases. A Gasman sensor was used for gathering NH3 concentration data, and a Testo sensor, model 330-1, was used for gathering CO data. During the growth period of the fowl, the average NH3 and CO concentrations were 4.5 ppm for both gases, within the acceptable levels for worker health due to the newness of the coffee bean husks litter. The ventilation system with positive pressure was the most efficient in internal air renewal.