Parâmetros de conforto térmico de galpões de matrizes de postura no semiárido paraibano.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the environmental comfort and productivity variables in the performance of female parent stock, Cobb avian lineage, under the summer 2008 conditions in the city of Boa Vista, semi-arid region of Paraiba state. The experiment was carried out in three bams which had equal thermal conditions. It was evaluated the rates of thermal comfort, the litter and nest conditions, the sound pressure level of each bam and the following production indices: total egg production and total number of hatching eggs. We used a total of 33,028 birds of different ages, where the first, second and third bam housed 35, 48 and 66 weeks old birds, respectively. The indices of thermal comfort were measured daily, in an hourly basis, from 06 to 18 h. One can conclude that the conditioning systems for all studied barns provided, in certain times of the day, a state of environmental discomfort. The obtained production rates yielded satisfactory results for the hatching eggs industry in this region. Regarding the noise levels, neither the birds nor workers were exposed to insane conditions.