Transport of broilers: microclimate of the load during Brazilian summer

The objective of this study was to characterize the the microclimatic profile of broiler chicken transport trucks under commercial conditions, in the winter by continuous monitoring of environmental variables (temperature and relative air humidity). Three loads were monitored, from farm to slaughterhouse, considering factors such as distance (short, medium and long) and periods of the day (morning, afternoon and night). To obtain the environmental variables profile in the trucks during the journey, data loggers were installed in the trucks that determined the microclimate to which the birds were submitted and allowed the visualization of the Enthalpy Comfort Index (ECI) so that the lorry regions could be classified according to heat comfort limits for six-week old poultry. The temperature, relative humidity and ECI in the truck were analyzed using geostatistics, by the ordinary kriging method. The afternoon was the most critical period from the environmental point of view, and the central and rear parts of the truck were most problematic for the chickens from the microclimatic point of view and were thus the most susceptible to losses.