Desenvolvimento e validação de dispositivo móvel para verificar o conforto térmico de aves de produção

Abstract

In poultry farming, thermal comfort is related to environmental conditions in commercial facilities, where ideal values ensure the development of the birds' maximum genetic potential, promoting performance and welfare. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a mobile device to measure environmental variables, calculate indices, classify the comfort of poultry production (broilers, commercial layers and breeders) at different ages and validate the device. The system was based on the development of a low-cost portable device to measure environmental variables such as dry-bulb tem perature, relative humidity, air velocity, black-bulb temperature and dew point, and to calculate thermal comfort indices. The environmental variables were collected using two mobile devices (a commercial one and the one developed in this project) to validate the equipment. The mobile device proved to be effective and was able to measure the variables, calculate the indices, evaluate the thermal comfort of the birds and propose management adjustments to optimize the environment of the facility according to the age and breed of the birds. In terms of validation, the device can be used to integrate the equations into the programming for adaptation. However, the device needs to be validated in future studies in terms of flight speed, carbon dioxide concentration and atmospheric pressure. The development of the low-cost mobile device can be consid ered as an alternative solution for the assessment and monitoring of thermal comfort in breeding birds, contributing to the performance and welfare of the animals and also allowing the environment of the facility to be adapted as required.