Effect of corn (Zea Mays) feeding on the hottests hours of the day on the productive and hematological parameters of broilers receiving electrolytes in the water
Published: October 20, 2011
By: M Rossini1*, E Alcalá2, V De Basilio3 A Silva4. 1UCV, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; 2UCV, Pregrado mención Producción Animal; 3UCV- IPA, Facultad de Agronomía. 4UCV, Pregrado Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Maracay - Venezuela.
Summary
The effect of corn supply (Zea mays) in the hottest hours of the day, on productive and hematologic variables in chickens, supplemented with electrolytes in the water, was evaluated by 4 treatments with 5 repetitions of 8 chickens each one: T1= Ad libitum; T2= Ad libitum plus minerals; T3= Corn, and water without electrolytes; T4= Corn, and water within electrolytes . The composition of the mineral supplement was: 0,65g of Bicarbonate of Sodium (NaHCO3); 0,005g of Chloride of Ammonium (NH4CL); and 0,023g Sodium chloride (NaCL), from 28 to 37 days age of chickens. It was measured: consumption of feed in two periods (09:00-16:00 h and 16:00-09:00 h) days 29 to the 37; consumption of water days 28 to 37 at 10:00 am; gain of weight; corporal temperature in two periods (15:00-16:00 and 17:00-18:00 h) days 30 to 37; hyperventilation level in two periods (16:00-17:00 h) days 30 to 36, and (11:00-13:00 h) day 37; Red globules; white globules; hematocrit; hemoglobin; medium corpuscular volume; medium concentration of corpuscular hemoglobin; plasma protein; heterophil %; linphocytes %; and the relationship between heterophil and linphocytes days 28 and 37, before and after heat-stress. Data was analyzed using ANOVA testing, and Stat View statistical program. It was found that after hest-stress, corporal temperature reduces 0,89ºC when including corn in the diet, but when added electrolytes in the water corporal temperature reduces 0.88ºC, and also obtained 150,2±13,88 for hyperventilation level; interaction reduces mortality in 20%. Evidences show that, including corn in the diet, within or without minerals, increases the quantity of absolute heterophil 4828, and reduces stress severity in animals.
Key Words: Heat-stress, Blood parameters, Addition of electrolytes, Corn.
Introduction
The poultry industry, specially broiler production, has been growing continuously since the 1990s (Havenstein, 2003). In Venezuela, in addition to problems of dependency in genetics (100% imported) and feed (80% imported), 80% of the poultry is raised at high amieent temperatures, 33 to 36°C in a given point of the day. In those States with larger production, (Aragua and Carabobo) and western area, (Zulia), the annual average temperatures reach 30 ° C (Oliveros) (2000). The Ross manual on broiler management (2008) mentions that the ideal temperature for broilers is 21 ° C in the final phase and according to the Cobb manual has 18 - 21 ° C as the optimal temperature for the same period.
These high temperatures place the chickens outside of the area of thermo-neutral zone which is known as "heat stress" (Oliveros, 2000), in this condition the chicken uses various ways of dissipation of heat, which represents one of the main problems of poultry production in tropical countries, such as Venezuela (Basil of et to the., 2001). This heat stress condition causes mortalitiesof up to 20% in broiler chickens in the last week of life. Several management practices have been used to improve productivity in warm environments, such as of fans, cooling the roof with water, protecting external piping, pumps and nebulizers, eBT, but these solutions require significant capital investments (Lacy & Czarick, 1992), and offer limited benefits to reduce high mortality due to heat surge, which has led to study more economic and feasible alternatives in order to reduce heat stress. Among those are: feed restriction (Angulo, 1990), dietary adjustments (Picard et to the., 1993) and alternate food (Basil of 1999); other strategy used, is the addition of electrolytes in the diet, given that they play a very important role in productivity parameters of broilers. Thus, this work is oriented to evaluate the effect of the supply of corn (Zea mays) in the hottest hours of the day on productive and hematological variables in chicken supplemented with or without electrolytes in the water. This to determine through changes in the blood composition, the applicability of these technical addition of corn and electrolytes to determine whether overall decrease heat stress, and to be able to offer alternatives and knowledge for a better development of the national poultry industry.
Materials & Methods
This experiment was developed in the unit of semi-controlled environment UASC section avian laboratory of the Faculty of Agronomy, Universidad Central Venezuela, Maracay, Edo. Aragua. Located 5 "N, 64 ° 13´ 10 ° 17´ 28" or, to 480 meters, with an average temperature of 25 ° C and a relative humidity of 75% (INIA, 2007); which it has four rooms identified from A to D. Chickens were raised in a similar way since his arrival until 14 days, when they were distributed by sex and weight in 6 pens in each room and a pen in Hall A for a total of 350 chickens; all the rooms had a temperature average and equal to the environment. Simulation of acute stress which consisted of increasing the temperature of the four rooms for 4 hours with the use of the brooder, placing 8 chickens for pen (4 females and 4 males), water and food consumption, body temperature, and mortality were recorded through day 37. Blood samples were obtained at day 28 and 37 day before and after acute stress in male Rooms A and C and female Rooms B and D. The experimental design was completely randomized with a factorial of 2 x 2 (two types of diets and addition or not of minerals in the water), for a total of 4 treatments with 5 repetitions of 8 chickens each. The evaluated treatments were: T1 = Ad libitum (balanced the 24 hours of the day feed) T2 = Ad libitum more minerals in the water (balanced 24 hours of the day more mineral water feed), T3 = corn in the hottest hours of the day (09: 00-16: 00 h) and supplementary diet in the hours (16: 00-09: 00 h) cooler without minerals in the water and T4 = corn in the hottest hours of the day (09: 00-16: 00 h) and supplementary diet in the cooler hours)16: 00-09: 00 pm) more minerals in the water.
Results & Discussion
Temperatures ranged for the warmer hours (9: 00 and 16: 00 h), from 28, 51±0, 07 and 32, 01± 0.07 ° C and between (16: 00 and 9: 00 pm) 22, 77±0, 48 and 24, 97±0, 48 ° C. These temperatures throughout the experiment are high for the last few weeks of life of chickens. According to the Ross manual 2002 ideal temperatures are around 25 ° C for the last weeks of life, so the animal is already suffering a chronic stress due to high temperatures. Mean temperature values in the hot period of the day are consistent with established by De Basil et al. (2001) who quote the temperature of chronic stress as between 26 - 32 ° C. These values also agree with those proposed by Villalpanpo (2000) and Oliveros (2000), who cited environmental temperature for the comfort of the third week of life is 27 and 25 ° C respectively.
Intake for diet A, diet B) and corn, which were divided into two recorded periods (09: 00-16: 00 h and 16: 00-09: 00 h), show that the corn intake in the hottest hours exceeds by 47,98 g/bird/day the intake of 30 g/bird/day for diet A diet, this coincides with the results by Lozano (2007) who cites that the chickens who provides corn in the hottest hours never reach the same food intake than those receiving a balanced diet.
Likewise, the corn treatment during the warmest hours with electrolyte in the water showed no statistical significant difference. The consumption of corn in the hottest hours exceeds 47,98 g/bird/day to that of 30 g/bird/day found by Lozano (2007) given the fact that group receiving corn without minerals does not exceed the ad libitum, as found by Lozano (2007) who cites that the chickens who receive corn in the hottest hours never reach the same food intake than those receiving a balanced diet. Water consumption was not significantly different between treatments ad libitum plus minerals or treatment corn plus minerals; It was observed that from the 28 day 35 of age, chickens who were under treatment ad libitum plus minerals, and corn plus water electrolytes during the hottest hours had decreased weights: 201,61 g/bird and 201,95 g/bird in the treatment ad libitum respectively. Then at day 36 37 of age of chickens there was no statistically significant difference in weight, where it can be inferred that the chickens recovered their weight at the end of the experiment. These results are consistent with those of Lozano (2007) and Farfán (2008), who in their farm and laboratory experiments found that supplementation with electrolyte in the water did not affected by the gain of weights of the chickens.
Body temperature (BT) shows that the difference comes with the addition of minerals in the water, significantly reducing the BT of chickens in 0.17 ° C in the treatment of ad libitum, these results are similar to those obtained by Farfán (2008), who found that added minerals in the water reduced the BT of the chickens in 0.11 ° C compared to the treatment that with no added minerals in the water. It also notes that there is a significant reduction in the number of red blood cells the day 37 after of the heat surge on the 37 after the heat surge day for all the evaluated treatments, consistent with what is observed by Meiri et al. (1991), Borges et al. (2003) and Yahav et al. (1997) who conclude that reduction is due to acute stress. These results do not agree with that reported by Borges (1997-2001) who concludes that the red blood cells increase is due to and/or cause of dehydration. Likewise, the increase in white blood cells on day 37 after the heat surge, compared to day 37 before the heat surge, is only significant for the treatments ad libitum plus minerals and corn without minerals, with a value of (P<0.05) and (P = 0, 04) respectively, these results do not agree with what is observed by Özge et al. (2000) who placed chickens at a temperature of 39 ° C for 2 hours and manages to reduce the number of circulating white blood cells.
Placing chickens under acute stress on day 37 with ad libitum intake results in a higher mortality rate that the rest of the treatments, while ad libitum plus minerals reduces mortality by 22.5%. Similarly use of corn in the hottest hours reduced mortality by 17.5 per cent. This same reduction was seen with the interaction that reduces 20% mortality in the treatment ad libitum. These results are similar to the retrieved by Farfán (2008), who manages to reduce the mortality of treatment more mineral ad libitum by 21.8%.
Conclusions
The addition of electrolyte in the water and the replacement with corn in the hottest hours of the day does not affect productive chickens variables. However achieved evident effect on the mortality of chickens in the simulation of acute stress. Hematological values were not affected from any point of view by action of the treatments. However corn in diet increases values of absolute heterophile thus reducing the severity of acute stress. Corn in the hottest hours of the day lowers the body temperature of chickens 0.89° C.Interact both techniques reduces the body temperature of chickens in 0.87º C. To incorporate electrolyte water achievement reducing mortality by 22.5%.In the same way it occurs when two techniques interact thereby reducing mortality by 20%. By substituting corn in diet mortality of chickens is reduced in a 17.5%.
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