Respostas fisiológicas de matrizes lactantes e de suas leitegadas, à modificações térmicas ambientais em condições de verão.

Abstract

This experiment was carried out from January 20th to February 20th, 1996. The was to verify the effect of the forced ventilation and the evaporative cooling system on the performance of lactation sows and their litters. The maternity building had four rooms, with eight parturition cage each, being the sows housed four days before litters birth. The treatments consisted of forced ventilation, evaporative cooling with a sprayer connected to the ventilator and evaporative cooling with pad material. The rectal temperature, respiratory frequency and the feed intake of the sows and the weight gain of the litters were registered. It was concluded that the evaporative cooling systems presented the best results.