Thermoregulatory Behaviors and the Efficiency of Vitamin C on the Performance of Broiler Chickens Transported by Road During the Hot Season

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of thermoregulatory behaviors and the efficiency of vitamin C on the performance of broiler chickens transported by road during the hot season. A total of 100 six-week-old broiler chickens with an average body weight of 2500g were used. There were five treatments constituting the T1: Positive Control (PC), T2: Negative Control (NC) T3: Beaks and Wings Taped (BWT); T4: Beaks Taped (BT), and T5: Wings Taped (WT) and 20 chickens were allocated to each of the treatment in a Completely Randomized Design. The parameters evaluated were Rectal Temperature (rt), Body Temperature (bt), and haematological parameters. The rt and bt evaluations were carried out before, during, and after transportation while the haematological assessment was done before and after. The result showed that BWT and BT significantly (p<0.05) recorded a high rt at 60 (41.60 respectively) and 90 minutes (42.20 and 42.00 respectively) during the transportation and, on arrival. Lymphocytes were significantly (p<0.05) reduced in BTW birds compared to the rest of the treatments. Glucose levels before and after transportation were generally low and were significantly (p<0.05) low after transportation in the BT when compared to the rest of the treatments. Heat loss through panting is indeed more effective as a heat loss mechanism when compared to drooping wings. Vitamin C supplementation can alleviate transportation stress in broiler chickens.