Bone biomechanics and animal welfare: evaluation of locomotor system according to environmental enrichment in different ages of broilers

• Grant number: 16/10769-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2016
• End date: April 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Rural Buildings and Ambience
• Principal Investigator: Iran José Oliveira da Silva
• Grantee: Aérica Cirqueira Nazareno
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the locomotor system of broiler chickens raised in a controlled environment, using biomechanical techniques faccording to environmental enrichment throughout the production cycle. The research will be carried out in a climatic chamber at Animal Environment Research Nucleus in State of São Paulo. 120 one-day-old Cobb in 12 birds/m2 density will be used. The climatic chamber will be divided into four boxes, two boxes per treatment (absence and presence of environmental enrichment), the research will be performed along two production cycles. Air temperature and relative humidity will be monitored by two thermistor sensors with datalogger functions. For bone biomechanics and morphometry analysis, right and left tibias and femurs of birds will be used per treatment at ages 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days, measurements will be made by a universal assay machine as well as tibial dyschondroplasia and spondylolisthesis, and damage analyzes will be performed by means of scoring. Behavioral assessment will be performed by monitoring, recording and image analysis. Growth performance and physical integrity will be held weekly in all animals. The experimental design will be completely randomized with a split-plot structure, containing two treatments and eight repetitions (culled birds/week). It is expected to provide information on bone deformities of locomotor system of broilers in different weeks of age due to the use of environmental enrichment. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

AÉRICA C. NAZARENO; IRAN J. O. DA SILVA; EDUARDO F. DELGADO; MIGUEL MACHADO; LUIZ O. PRADELLA. Enriquecimento ambiental melhora desempenho, morfometria, rendimento e peso das partes de frangos em diferentes idades?. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, v. 26, n. 4, p. 292-298, 2022-01-14. (16/10769-8)

SÉRGIO L. DE CASTRO JÚNIOR; IRAN J. O. DA SILVA; AÉRICA C. NAZARENO; MARIANA DE O. MOTA. COMPUTER VISION FOR MORPHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF BROILER CHICKEN BONES. Engenharia Agrícola, v. 42, 2022-04-01. (16/10769-8)