A HARNESS AND COMPUTER-SYSTEM TO FACILITATE AUTOMATED BODY-TEMPERATURE DATA-COLLECTION IN HEAT-STRESSED BROILERS

An easy-to-use, low-cost system was developed that permitted nearly co ntinuous, automated core body temperature (T(c)) readings on 7-wk-old male broiler chickens via direct computer linkage to thermistor probes held in place by a specially designed harness. Elevated T(c) was note d in heat stress studies following the replacement of expelled tempera ture probes in some hyperthermic birds. To demonstrate the usefulness of the data collection system described herein, three treatments with three to four birds per treatment were used to examine this observatio n. Birds were designated as handled only (HAN), handled to remove and replace the temperature probe (RPL), or left as nonhandled controls (C ON). Treatments had no effect on subsequent T(c) in experiments when t he thermoregulatory capacity of the birds was not challenged. However, when the birds were sufficiently challenged, T(c) of HAN and RPL bird s increased within 4 min of the initiation of handling and remained ab ove baseline for up to 45 min. The T(c) of CON birds in that trial als o increased, but to a smaller degree, within 5 min and remained above baseline for up to 20 min. This study indicates that T(c) of hyperther mic birds can be superelevated by simulated manual placement of cloaca l temperature probes and that fixed probes connected to an automated d ata monitoring and collection system is a relatively simple way to avo id this problem.