Alleviate poultry heat stress through antioxidant vitamin supplementation

摘要

Broiler and egg production declines when birds experience heat stress. When funds are unavailable for investment in buildings and ventilation, changes in diet may be the answer. High ambient temperature is one of the most important stressors for poultry, and has a direct relationship on the profitability of meat and egg production. A seasonal problem in many parts of the world, high environmental temperatures (35-43C in tropical countries) cause economic losses through reducing feed intake and decreasing nutrient utilization, live weight gain, egg production, egg quality and feed efficiency. The ideal temperature for broilers is 10-22C for optimum body weight, and 15-27C for feed efficiency. Layers will produce eggs constantly at temperatures of 10-30C. Above 30C, performance declines in terms of growth and egg production.