Comparative economic efficiency of using pharmacological agents for the stress prevention in the course of immunization of birds against reovirus tenosynovitis

A. Miftakhutdinov, N. Zhuravel and I. Dikhtyaruk*

South Ural State Agrarian University, 13 Gagarina St., RU457100 Troitsk, Chelyabinsk Region, Russia
*Correspondence: nirugavm@mail.ru

Abstract:

This article describes the results of studies on the definition and comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of using SPAO-FA (stress protector antioxidant – feed additive) and SPAO-complex pharmacological preparation (stress protector antioxidant – complex preparation for birds) for the prevention of vaccine stress during immunization of birds against reovirus tenosynovitis. These preparations were used during 5 days (3 days before vaccination, on the day of vaccination and one day after vaccination) at the dose of 185 mg kg^-1 body weight: SPAO-FA was given as a part of compound feed, SPAO-complex – with water. Stress prevention in chickens of the parent flock provides equally high level of protection of birds from a field virus, a causative agent of reovirus tenosynovitis: it reduces the development of a protective level of antibodies by 7 days. Using SPAO-complex contributed to the increase in antibody titers by a factor of 2.6, and to the decrease in the coefficient of variation by the term of monitoring immunity stress by 25.7%. Using SPAO-FA increased antibody titers by 1.6 times, but had no significant effect on vaccination homogeneity. Vaccination index that should be high in the case of successful vaccination was 3.5 times higher for SPAO-complex in comparison with the basic diet; this for SPAO-FA was 1.6 times higher. Positive effect of anti-stress therapy influences the livability of chickens which was 3.5% higher with SPAO-complex, 0.79% higher – with SPAO-FA; bird live weight and the yield of day-old chicks were also higher in comparison with the basic diet by 6.44 and 0.88%, and 4.22 and 0.55%, respectively. Cost-effectiveness of using SPAO-FA per RUR of costs amounted to 180.09 RUR, for SPAO-complex, this parameter amounted to 435.86 RUR.

Key words:

Computational fluids dynamics (CFD) in the spatial distribution of air velocity in prototype designed for animal experimentation in controlled environments

M.O. Vilela¹*, R.S. Gates², M.A. Martins¹, M. Barbari³*, L. Conti³, G. Rossi³, S. Zolnier¹, C.G.S. Teles Junior¹, H.H.R. Zanetoni¹, R.R. Andrade¹ and I.F.F. Tinôco¹

¹Federal University of Viçosa, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Av. Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n Campus University of Viçosa CEP: 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
²University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 1304 West Pennsylvania Avenue 61801, Urbana, USA
³University of Florence, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, Via San Bonaventura, 13, IT50145 Firenze, Italy
*Correspondence: monique.vilela@ufv.br; matteo.barbari@unifi.it

Abstract:

Maintaining a comfortable and productive thermal environment is one of the major challenges of poultry farming in tropical and hot climates. The thermal environment encompasses a number of factors that interact with each other and reflect the actual thermal sensation of the animals. These factors characterize the microclimate inside the facilities and influence the behaviour, performance and well-being of the birds. Thus, the objective of this study is to propose and validate a computational model of fluid dynamics to evaluate the spatial distribution of air velocity and the performance of a system designed to control air velocity variation for use in experiments with birds in controlled environment. The performance of the experimental ventilation prototype was evaluated based on air velocity distribution profiles in cages. Each prototype consisted of two fans coupled to a PVC pipe 25 cm in diameter, one at each end of the pipe, with airflow directed along the entire feeder installed in front of the cages. The contour conditions considered for the simulation of airflow inside the cage were air temperature of 35 °C at the entrance and exit of the cage; air velocity equal to 2.3 m s^-1 at the entrance of the cage; pressure of 0 Pa. The model proposed in this study was representative when compared to the experimental measurements, and it can be used in the study of air flow behaviour and distribution for the improvement of the prototype design for later studies.

Key words:

air velocity, Computational Fluids Dynamics, poultry farming, ventilation