Thermal comfort index, physiological variables and performance of quails fed with protein reduction/Indice de conforto termico, variaveis fisiologicas e desempenho de codornas alimentadas com reducao proteica

• Published in: Revista brasileira de engenharia agrícola e ambiental 2016-04, p.378
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Ladyanne R, Furtado, Dermeval A, Costa, Fernando G.P, do Nascimento, Jose W.B, de A. Cardoso, Evaldo
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1415-4366
• DOI: 10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v20n4p378-384

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of environment and electrolyte balance on environmental, physiological and productive indices of Japanese quails. For the experiment, 288 quails were distributed in a randomized block design with six treatments and six replicates of eight birds per experimental unit. The treatments consisted of one basal feed with 20.0% of crude protein (CP) and the others with a reduction of 3.0% CP to achieve six electrolyte balance levels (166.54; 153.47; 139.63; 139.63; 117.13 and 166.49). As to the environment, there was an increase in air temperature and temperature-humidity index at the hottest hours of the day, causing discomfort to the birds, which increased respiratory rate, but with the maintenance of homeothermy. Differences were observed in feed consumption, water consumption, production, weight of eggs and mass of eggs, due to the electrolyte levels in the feed. For feed conversion, both per mass and per dozen of eggs, there was no statistical difference. The electrolyte balance and environmental indices at the hottest hours of the day did not affect quail production. Key words: thermal comfort zone physiological variables productive indices Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, determinar o efeito do ambiente e do balanco eletrolitico sobre os indices ambientais, fisiologicos e produtivos de codornas japonesas. Utilizaram-se 288 aves distribuidas no delineamento em blocos casualizados com seis tratamentos e seis repeticoes de oito aves por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos consistiram em uma racao basal com nivel de 20,0% PB e os demais com reducao de 3,0% PB, para alcancar seis niveis de balanco eletrolitico (166,54; 153,47; 139,63; 139,63; 117,13 e 166,49). Quanto ao ambiente, verificou-se uma elevacao na temperatura do ar e no indice de temperatura e umidade nos horarios mais quentes do dia, causando desconforto as aves, que elevaram a frequencia respiratoria, porem com a manutencao da homeotermia. Foram observadas diferencas no consumo de racao, consumo de agua, producao, peso e massa de ovo, em razao dos niveis eletroliticos da racao. Quanto a conversao alimentar tanto por massa quanto por duzia de ovos, nao foi observada diferenca estatistica. O balanco eletrolitico e os indices ambientais nos horarios mais quentes do dia nao interferiram na producao das aves. Palavras-chave: zona de conforto termico variaveis fisiologicas indices produtivos