Effect of feathering on fasting heat production

• Grant number: 22/11111-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Nilva Kazue Sakomura
• Grantee: Beatriz Santos Colucci
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/26575-6 - Net energy system for poultry, AP.TEM

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine the effect of feathering on fasting heat production (FHP) in 21-day-old broilers. 320 birds will be used in a completely randomized design, to compose the treatments that will consist of five increasing levels of feathering (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70%) of 4 replications with 8 chickens each. The birds selected for measuring the FHP will undergo a period of adaptation to the respirometric chambers of 4 days and the FHP will be measured on the fifth day with the birds fasting (24h). During this period the feather development of the birds is expected to continue, therefore the feathering of the birds will be re-evaluated via the infrared camera on day 20 to redistribute the birds according to the level of feathering. The methodology for evaluating feathering using an infrared camera developed by Cook et al. (2006). Statistical analyzes will be performed in the SAS computer program version 9.2.