Assessment of turkey vehicle container microclimate on transit during summer season conditions

• Published in: International journal of biometeorology 2018-06, Vol.62 (6), p.961-970
• Main Authors: Carvalho, Rafael H., Honorato, Danielle C. B., Guarnieri, Paulo D., Soares, Adriana L., Pedrão, Mayka R., Oba, Alexandre, Paião, Fernanda G., Ida, Elza I., Shimokomaki, Massami
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abattoirs; Air temperature; Animal Physiology; Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Birds; Compartments; Containers; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Health; Experimental design; Exudation; Humidity; Meat; Meteorology; Microclimate; Original Paper; Plant Physiology; Relative humidity; Summer; Transportation planning; Turkeys; Ventilation
• ISSN: 0020-7128; 1432-1254
• DOI: 10.1007/s00484-018-1498-2

This study evaluated the formed microclimate commercial truck transport practices effects on the turkeys’ welfare by measuring Dead on Arrival (DOA) index and pale, soft, and exudative (PSE-like) meat occurrence. The experimental design was entirely randomized in a 6 × 2 factorial arrangements (two truck container compartments × six water shower groups) with birds positioned at superior front (SF), inferior front (IF), superior middle (SM), inferior middle (IM), superior rear (SR), and inferior rear (IR) and two bath treatments: with water shower (WiS) and without water shower (WoS) with eight replications for each treatment. The animals were transported for 95 min’ journey from the farm to the slaughterhouse under hot-humidity conditions. The results shown herein indicated the formation of a thermal core at the inferior middle and rear truck container regions, because the heat produced by the birds and the influence of developed microclimate consisting of temperature, relative humidity, and air ventilation. The IM and IR container compartments under the WoS treatment presented the highest ( P