The relationships between abdominal temperature and some thermoregulatory responses in male broiler chickens

Zhou, W. T.; Fujita, M.; Ito, T.; Yamamoto, S.

doi:1997.10.6.652

Article

Swine Nutrition and Feed Technology

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 1997;10(6): 652-656.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.1997.652 Published online December 1, 1997.

The relationships between abdominal temperature and some thermoregulatory responses in male broiler chickens

W. T. Zhou, M. Fujita, T. Ito, S. Yamamoto

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the relationships between abdominal temperature (Tabd) and some thermoregulatory responses, such as heat production (HP), heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), temperature of external ear tract (Tee), comb surface temperature (Tcs) and shank skin temperature (Tss), for revealing the role of deep body temperature in the thermoregulation of broiler chickens. Tabd was divided into 5 zones of 40-41, 41-42, 42-43, 43-44 and 44-45째C and maintained for 3 hours in each zone by varying environmental temperature from 11 to 33째C HP and HR had a greater increase with Tabd above 42.5째C RR increased markedly with Tabd above 41.5째C and reached a maximum when Tabd was at 42.5째C then began to decrease. In addition, HP and HR increased significantly with decrease RR during the decreasing phase of panting. Tcs and Tss changed rapidly with Tabd when Tabd was below 41.5째C and increased more slowly above 41.5째C. Tee was lower than Tabd, and its increase was less than that of Tabd. These results suggest that changes in thermoregulatory responses are induced by an increase in abdominal temperature. Tabd increases to adjust the ratio of sensible and evaporative heat loss when Tabd is below 42.5째C while the ability in body temperature regulation gradually disappears when abdominal temperature exceeds 42.5째C and heat balance can not be maintained.

Keywords: Thermoregulatory Response; Heat Production; Abdominal Temperature; Broiler Chickens