Efecto del uso de bioestimulante sobre el desempeño productivo y economico del pollo de engorde sometido a estrés por calor.

Abstract

At La Esperanza farm, located in the municipality of Cúcuta in the San Pedro district at an altitude above sea level with an average temperature of 30°C to 35°C, the farm primarily supports itself through the sale of live broiler chickens. The farm has four sheds for the efficient management of animals and economic income. Over time, the management practices and challenges faced by the farm were observed, leading to the introduction of a biostimulant at the beginning of the third week of the chickens' lives to improve their zootechnical conditions compared to control batches of chickens. It is important to monitor weight gain, feed conversion, mortality, and uniformity as these parameters are the targets for improvement with the biostimulant. Additionally, the goal is to reduce heat stress in the chickens from the third week onward when their energy expenditure due to panting increases due to high temperatures. The biostimulant aimed to help the chickens thermoregulate, reduce energy expenditure, minimize weight loss, increase feed intake, improve feed conversion, and lower the mortality rate due to heat stress. To analyze potential differences, the study was divided into two groups with a 15-day gap due to the farm's management conditions. The control group was monitored first, with total parameter records and results obtained. Fifteen days later, the biostimulant group began, with the biostimulant introduced into their diet starting on day 15. Daily records of feed intake, daily mortality, weekly average weight, and feed conversion were kept. Additionally, the highest heat peaks were observed, as this indicated when the birds needed the biostimulant to thermoregulate and subsequently improve the measured parameters. The biostimulant did not reduce the overall mortality in broilers, showing a higher mortality in the treated group (3.20%) compared to the control group (2.53%), suggesting possible adverse factors such as management, environment, diseases, and deficiencies. However, the supplemented chickens consumed 7.2% more feed, had an 8% more efficient feed conversion, and gained 7.14% more weight, indicating improvements in appetite, feed efficiency, and growth.