Does dietary supplementation with phytases affect the thermoregulatory and behavioral responses of pullets in a tropical environment?

Publication date: Available online 30 December 2019Source: Journal of Thermal BiologyAuthor(s): Thais Lucas de Sena, Silvana Cavalcante Bastos Leite, Angela Maria de Vasconcelos, Maria Mislane Rodrigues Bezerra, Cláudia Goulart de Abreu, Maria Rogervânia Silva de Farias, Robson Mateus Freitas SilveiraAbstractDietary supplementation of two types of phytases (fungal and bacterial) with different dosages (300 and 900 FTUs) was evaluated in the thermoregulatory and behavioral responses of replacement pullets in a tropical environment. 288 Hy-Line White laying birds with a mean weight of 639.60 ± 6.05 g, clinically healthy, and eight weeks old were used in the study. Respiratory rate (RR, breaths. min−1), Cloacal temperature (CT, °C), Surface temperature with feathers (STWF, °C), and Surface temperature featherless (STF, °C) were measured in the morning and afternoon. Behavioral data were observed through the following activities: sitting, eating, drinking, exploring feathers (EF), non-aggressive pecking (NAP), and object pecking (OP) recorded every 10 min from 6 am to 5 pm. Environmental variables were measured along with thermoregulatory and behavioral responses. There was an interaction for RR between phytase and period of the day (P > 0.05). The lowest RR (morning) was observed in fungal phytase. STF and STWF were higher (P < 0.05) in the afternoon. Birds supplemented with fungal phytase showed lower STWF (P < 0.05). The variables that contr...
Source: Journal of Thermal Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research