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Preference testing is one method for assessing animal perceptions regarding their housing environment and can assist with animal welfare assessment. No literature was found detailing specific designs for the compartments and their temperature and ammonia distribution. A novel system was designed and built as an environmental preference system (EPTS); the system has three parallel connected compartments separated by an automatic door. For the appropriate interpretation of animal responses for environmental testing, it is important to ensure precise control, stability, and uniformity of environmental control. Set-point values of 15, 22, and 30 °C and 0, 20, and 40 ppmv NH3 were randomly applied to all compartments during the testing. The system has proven to be capable of providing distinct simultaneous environments in each compartment (tdb of 15.8 ± 1.4 °C, 22.4 ± 1.0 °C, 30.1 ± 0.8 °C and NH3 concentrations of 3.5 ± 2.8 ppmv, 19.4 ± 4.1 ppmv, and 38.2 ± 4.4 ppmv). The validation of the EPTS was conducted with a group of nine broilers that could transit between the compartments of the EPTS and avoid the heat stress environment. This system can be used for environmental preference studies with animals within the limits reported for the stability, repeatability, and uniformity of the environments.

Os sistemas de rastreamento de toda a cadeia produtiva de animais estão cada vez mais presentes. Assim, todas as etapas do processo produtivo podem ser monitoradas por meio de sistemas inteligentes que auxiliam com precisão na tomada de decisão, maximizando todo o sistema. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho do sistema de identificação eletrônica por radio frequência (RFID) do tipo tag passivo instalado em uma câmara de preferência ambiental (CPA) quanto à detecção dos movimentos de frangos de corte, e foi realizado em duas partes: 1) Detecção do alcance das antenas utilizando um robô; 2) Rastreamento do movimento de frangos de corte entre os compartimentos da CPA. Observou-se que o sinal de RFID emitido pela etiqueta pode ser lido a aproximadamente 10 cm de distância da antena, identificando uma zona de não detecção. Portanto, o sistema RFID instalado na CPA não apresentou o desempenho esperado, e esta tecnologia deve ser replanejada ou substituída.

The goal was to assess the influence of thermal environment on thermal comfort of 15 multiparous lactating Holstein cows. Thermal comfort of the cows in the barn was assessed from the changes in their rectal temperature and respiratory frequency Air temperature and relative humidity were measured outside and inside the barn to characterize the macro-and microclimate. . There was no correlation between micro and macroclimate considering the physiological parameters. The thermal environment variables and physiological parameters were within ideal limits according literature, Therefore, we concluded that the facility may have been effective considering the thermal comfort needs of dairy cows.

In most of Brazilian pig farms, the environmental acclimatization systems run manually. For night and early morning periods, this practice isn't appropriate, because, in general, there are not employees available to run these manual systems. This research aimed to compare the bioclimatic profile of two differently constructed facilities to the external environment, considering the period from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the spring, in order to show that night and early morning temperatures do not coincides with growing pig's thermoneutral zone. For this reason, acclimatization must be also carried out at these periods. It was analyzed the dry bulb temperature, relative air humidity, temperature-humidity index (THI) and enthalpy data of the sheds and external areas. Under the studied conditions, it was possible to conclude that the constructively appropriate shed appeared to be less influenced by the external environment, allowing better thermal control for growing pigs. Further research must be conducted to verify if automatic cooling systems is needed during night and early morning. Em grande parte das granjas de suínos no Brasil, os sistemas para climatização do ambiente funcionam com acionamento manual. Para os períodos matutino e noturno, esta prática não é adequada, uma vez que, nestes períodos, em geral, não há funcionários disponíveis para o acionamento destes sistemas. Por meio deste trabalho, objetivou-se comparar o perfil bioclimático de duas instalações construtivamente diferentes entre si e com o ambiente externo, considerando o período de 18 às 6h, durante a primavera, a fim de verificar que as condições de conforto térmico da noite e da madrugada podem apresentar-se fora do desejado para suínos em crescimento, e que, por esta razão, a climatização deve ser realizada também nestes períodos. Foram analisados a temperatura de bulbo seco, a umidade relativa do ar, o Índice de Temperatura e Umidade e a entalpia nos galpões e no ambiente externo às instalações. Nas condições estudadas, foi possível concluir que o galpão construtivamente adequado estudado mostrou ser menos influenciado pelo ambiente externo, propiciando conforto térmico mais adequado para os suínos em crescimento. Mais estudos devem ser realizados para que se verifique a necessidade de acionamento automático de equipamentos de climatização durante a noite e a madrugada.

O experimento foi realizado para avaliar o efeito da redução do nível de proteína bruta (PB) da ração formulada de acordo com o conceito de proteína ideal e suplementada com aminoácidos industriais, sobre o desempenho e rendimento de cortes de frangos de corte machos de 22 a 42 dias de idade mantidos em ambiente termoneutro. Foram utilizados 280 frangos de corte machos "Cobb" com peso inicial de 856 ± 6,48 g, distribuídos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com cinco tratamentos (21,6; 20,6; 19,6; 18,6 e 17,6% de PB), oito repetições de sete aves por unidade experimental. A temperatura no interior da sala foi mantida em 21,6 ± 0,7ºC, a umidade relativa em 74 ± 4,0% e a temperatura de globo negro em 22,5 ± 0,7ºC. O índice de temperatura de globo e umidade (ITGU) calculado para o período foi de 70 ± 0,9. Não houve efeito da redução dos níveis de PB sobre o ganho de peso e o consumo de ração, entretanto, a conversão alimentar foi influenciada pela redução dos níveis de PB sendo que as aves alimentadas com a ração que continha 22,0% de PB apresentaram o melhor resultado. A redução dos níveis de PB não influenciou o peso absoluto de carcaça e os pesos absoluto e relativo de peito, coxa e sobrecoxa. A redução do nível de PB da ração, de 21,6 para 17,6%, e formulada de acordo com o conceito de proteína ideal piora a conversão alimentar dos frangos de corte mantidos em ambiente termoneutro, não influenciando as demais variáveis estudadas. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) level reduction of ration formulated according to ideal protein concept and with supplementation of industrial amino acids on the performance and yield of noble cuts of broilers from 22 to 42 days of age kept under thermoneutral conditions. It was used 280 "Cobb" male broilers with initial weight of 856 ± 6.48 g, distributed in a completely randomized experimental design, with five treatments (21.6; 20.6; 19.6; 18.6 and 17.6% CP) and eight replications with seven birds per experimental unit. Temperatures inside the rooms were maintained at 21.6 ± 0.7°C, relative humidity at 74.4.0% and black globe temperature of 22.5 ± 0.7°C. Black globe temperature and humidity index (BGHTI) calculated for a period of 70 ± 0.9. There was no effect of the reduction of the levels of CP on weight gain and on feed intake but feed conversion was influenced by the reduction of the CP levels, and the birds fed diet with 22.0% of CP presented a better result. The reduction of the levels of CP did not influence absolute carcass weight and absolute and relative weights of breast, thigh and drumstick. Reduction of the level of dietary CP from 21.6 to 17.6% and formulated according to ideal protein concept worsens feed conversion of broilers kept in thermoneutral environment, not influencing the other studied variables.

O "wean to finish" é um sistema de criação de suínos que ainda é novo no Brasil, e não existem muitos estudos a respeito do ambiente onde estes animais são criados. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o ambiente térmico e aéreo por meio da técnica da geoestatística em galpão de suínos criados no sistema "wean to finish", na fase de terminação, nos horários das 09h, 12h e 15h. A variabilidade dos atributos foi baseada na estatística descritiva dos dados de temperatura, umidade relativa, velocidade do ar, concentrações de amônia e dióxido de carbono, obtendo-se: média, mediana, coeficiente de variação, assimetria e curtose, com o teste de normalidade de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, através do programa estatístico Minitab 15. Para a determinação da existência ou não da dependência espacial, utilizou-se do exame de semivariograma, através do programa GS+, e, na elaboração dos mapas de distribuição espacial das variáveis, foi utilizado o programa Surfer. Os atributos de velocidade do ar e as concentrações dos gases NH3 e CO2 apresentaram alto coeficiente de variação devido aos dados serem heterogêneos, pois a instalação apresentava ventilação natural. O uso dos mapas de krigagem permitiu observar a diferença espacial da distribuição das variáveis avaliadas com diferentes números de animais/baia e em diferentes horários. The "wean to finish" is a new pig production system in Brazil. To date, few research have investigated the environmental conditions of this pig farming system. The aim of this study was to evaluated the thermal environmental conditions and gases concentration using geostatistical techniques of a wean-to-finish barn during finishing phase at 9AM, 12PM e 3PM. The data variability was evaluated by the descriptive analysis, of the temperatures, relative humidity, air velocity, ammonia and carbon dioxide concentration. The results showed the average, median, coefficient of variation, asymmetry and curtosis and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test with the software Minitab 15. To determine the spatial dependence, the semivariogram exam was done, with the software GS+. The air velocity and gases concentration showed the highest coefficient of variation. This has happened because of the heterogeneity of the data caused by the natural ventilation. The Krigging maps showed the spacial differences of the pens with different numbers of animals in different hour of the day.

Orientadores: Daniella Jorge de Moura, Angela Renee Green Texto em português e inglês Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola Resumo: Estimar o bem-estar animal com precisão ainda é um desafio enfrentando a campo e nas pesquisas. Os testes de preferência constituem uma ferramenta importante nesta avaliação, uma vez que, a preferência do animal a um ambiente ou determinado recurso pode estar relacionada ao seu bem-estar. Esta tese foi proposta com objetivo de desenvolver e validar duas câmaras para teste de preferência: Câmara de Preferência Ambiental (CPA) e Câmara de Preferência por Passagem (CPP). A CPA foi construída, comissionada e validada e tem como objetivo principal avaliar respostas comportamentais de frangos de corte quanto a diferentes condições de temperatura do ar e amônia. A CPA consistiu em três compartimentos interligados em paralelo por uma porta automática para passagem das aves, e separados por uma parede de acrílico. A câmara possui controle automático de temperatura do ar e concentração de amônia para cada compartimento, sistema de monitoramento do comportamento e sistema de rastreamento das aves por rádio frequência. A CPA foi comissionada quanto à distribuição do ar, temperatura máxima e mínima de operação do sistema, isolamento do ar entre compartimentos, uniformidade dentro dos compartimentos, e acurácia e precisão do controle para cada variável ambiental. Cada compartimento foi capaz de controlar diferentes concentrações de amônia e temperatura, com pequena variabilidade interna, mínima contaminação cruzada e com acurácia e repetibilidade das condições ambientais. Após o teste de comissionamento, um experimento piloto foi conduzido para avaliar o uso da CPA por frangos de corte. Um grupo com nove frangos de corte foram alojados na CPA por 19 dias. O experimento foi dividido em três períodos: habituação à câmara, habituação à porta automática e período experimental, no qual as aves foram submetidas à condição de estresse por calor e termoneutralidade. Durante a habituação à câmara, as aves movimentaram-se a uma taxa média de 7 movimentos/ave/hora. Na presença da porta automática, os movimentos foram reduzidos para uma média de 2,3 movimentos/ave/hora. Conforme esperado, os frangos de corte evitaram o ambiente de estresse, o que indica que a estrutura construtiva da CPA estava adequada para alojamento e movimentação das aves. Já a CPP consiste em duas gaiolas conectadas por cinco túneis de acrílico, equipada com um sistema automático de detecção do movimento das aves. Este sistema foi validado e apresentou acurácia de 87,8% (detectando o movimento e indicando a posição da ave corretamente). A CPP foi validada avaliando o comportamento e a preferência de galinhas a três diferentes tipos de portas de passagem: cortina de vinil, corrente de plástico e painel de acrílico. As aves preferiram as portas de corrente de plástico e cortina de vinil comparado ao painel de acrílico. Os comportamentos avaliados (comer, em pé e deitar) não foram afetados pela presença das portas. Estes resultados indicam que qualquer um dos três tipos de porta testados pode ser utilizado nos sistemas de testes de preferência, os quais, geralmente, separam os ambientes de escolha por portas de passagem. Diante do exposto, concluiu-se que as câmaras de preferência propostas estão adequadas para condução dos testes de preferência Abstract: On-studies assessment of animal welfare requires a combination of animal-based measures to assess the actual state of welfare accurately. Animal preference may indicate welfare status, making preference testing an important tool for animal welfare research. This doctorate thesis was proposed aiming of developing and validating two preference test chambers: Environmental Preference Chamber (EPC) and Passageway Preference Chamber (PPC). An EPC for broilers was designed, constructed, commissioned and validated. The EPC comprised of three interconnected compartments separated by a bird transit automatic door within a clear acrylic panel. An automatic control of environmental conditions (air temperature and ammonia concentration) was developed, as well as behavior monitoring and bird tracking system. The EPC was commissioned for air distribution, maximum and minimum temperature of operation of the system, air infiltration between compartments, homogeneity within compartments, and also stability of environmental conditions (temperature and ammonia) previously defined. Each compartment was capable of controlling distinct air temperature and aerial ammonia concentrations, with minimal cross-contamination, low internal variability and accuracy and control precision of environmental conditions. Subsequently, a pilot test with animals was carried out to determine the usage of the chamber by the broilers. A group of nine 7-day-old chickens were placed in EPC over a period of 19 days. The trial was divided into three phases: chamber acclimation, automatic door acclimation and treatment application, which birds were exposed to heat stress and thermoneutral condition. During chamber acclimation, broiler¿s moved between compartments at a mean rate of 7 moves/bird/hour. Adding an automatic door, moves were reduced to 2.3 moves/bird/hour. As expected, broilers avoided the heat stress environment. This result may indicate that chamber design was suitable for housing and activities of broilers. The PPC consists of two cages separated by five acrylic tunnels and was equipped with a system to automatically detect and record movement of birds between cages. This system was validated and yielded 87.8% accuracy (detected and correctly determined hen location). The PPC was used to assess laying hen behavior and preference for three different passageway hanging doors: clear vinyl curtains, white plastic chain and clear solid acrylic panel. Results of preference study indicated that hens preferred vertical chains and vinyl strips compared with an acrylic panel. And, overall, hens¿ daily behavior profile was not affected by the presence of doors once they are trained to use the passageways. These findings suggest that any of three types of doors tested may be suitable for using during a preference testing, once it requires a test apparatus with choices separated by doors that the animal must navigate. Therefore, we concluded that preference test chambers proposed are proper to be used Doutorado Construções Rurais e Ambiencia Doutora em Engenharia Agrícola

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of digestible lysine levels in diets with and without supplementation of industrial amino acids on performance and fat deposition in the carcass of broilers in the starter phase. One thousand four hundred and forty chickens with initial weight of 168.1±5.0 g were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design, in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement, composed of five digestible lysine levels (10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0 and 14.0 g/kg) and two types of diet (diet with different proportions of corn and soybean meal and diet supplemented with industrial amino acids to obtain the digestible lysine levels), with eight replications and 18 birds per replication. There was interaction effect only on weight gain and fat deposition in the birds. The lysine levels reduced feed intake linearly in both diets, but caused a linear increase in lysine intake. The lysine levels quadratically affected weight gain and feed conversion, which improved up to the estimated levels of 13.0 and 12.8 g/kg lysine, respectively, when the corn:soybean meal ratio of the diet changed. In the diets supplemented with amino acids, the lysine levels increased weight gain and improved feed conversion linearly. Regardless of the type of diet, protein deposition increased linearly, whereas fat deposition reduced also linearly, as the lysine levels in the diets were increased. The levels of 13.0 and 14.0 g/kg digestible lysine provide, respectively, the best performance in birds fed a diet in which the proportion of corn and soybean meal varies and a diet supplemented with industrial amino acids, in the period from 8 to 21 days of age.

This study was conducted to verify the effects of dietary crude protein reduction on growth and carcass performance of 22-42-day-old broilers reared under different temperatures. Treatments were set up in a five by two factorial arrangement, with five crude protein levels (220, 210, 200, 190 and 184 g/kg) and two temperatures (21.6 and 32.2 ºC). Diets were isocaloric and essential amino acid-to-lysine ratio was maintained constant in all treatments. There was no interaction between crude protein reduction and environmental temperature for any of the parameters evaluated. Crude protein had no influence on feed intake. Nevertheless, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were linearly influenced by crude protein reduction. Worse performance was also observed in birds exposed to heat stress as compared with birds kept under thermoneutral temperature. There was no effect of crude protein reduction on breast and legs. Birds kept under heat stress had lower breast yield and higher leg yield as compared with broilers reared at 21.6 ºC. Any crude protein reduction in the range of 220 to 184 g/kg for 22 to 42-day-old broilers has a negative effect on their performance. Heat stress worsens broiler performance and breast yield.

In Brazil, the use of buildings with negative pressure system is increasing. The influence of different colors of side curtains on bird’s behavior is unknown. Depending on the curtain’s color its causes more or less luminosity inside the building, especially because the birds are photosensitivity. The luminosity has direct influence on the incidence of leg problems, and the UV rays may prevent it. This research aimed to evaluate the use of different curtain’s colors of broiler houses with negative pressure system with an emphasis in behavior and the incidence of leg problems. Three poultry farms located in Tiete / SP and Cerquilho / SP were studied, where treatment T1 was a negative pressure broiler house with black curtain, treatment T2 negative pressure broiler house with blue curtain and treatment T3 negative pressure broiler house with yellow curtain. Environmental data, animal behavior and the incidence of leg problems were monitored, during 3 flocks. Also, variable “Comfort TA” was created to evaluate the environmental conditions of the studied broiler houses. It was found a significant difference in bird’s behavior between treatments and some of them were related to luminosity. There was no relation between the incidence of leg problems with the light intensity and ultraviolet rays. The behavior of birds was influenced by the environmental variables.

Wean-to-finish is a popular production facility in the United States and is increasing in Brazilian swine production. In wean-to-finish facilities, pigs are weaned directly into a finishing style building and remain there until slaughter. The study of sound levels is characterized by the vocalizations emitted by a group of animals. The sounds may indicate stress, discomfort, fear, or any other emotional disorder. This study aimed to evaluate the sound levels emitted by different group sizes (22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 animals per pen) and stocking densities (1.12, 1.02, 0.94, 0.88, 0.82 animals/m²) in a wean-to-finish swine production system. The experiment was divided into four periods: phase 1(13.40 kg initial weight to final weight 37.95 kg), phase 2 (37.96 initial weight to final weight 60.30 kg), phase 3 (60.31 initial weight to final weight 86.86 kg) and phase 4 (86.87 initial weight to final weight 125 kg). Decibelimeters with automatic scale of 30 to 130dB located at the center of each pen were used to record the sound levels every 30 seconds. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA and Tukey’s test and were performed using SAEG (System for Genetic Analysis and Statistics). The results showed lowest sound levels for the smallest group size studied (22 animals). The highest mean sound level of 61.4 dB occurred in the 26 animals/pen group size, which was within the allowable limit of 85 dB specified in NR15 Brazilian norm. It can be concluded that main sound level emitted by pigs in a wean-to-finish facility is within the limits recommended by a Brazilian norm.

Thermal comfort plays a critical role in body temperature regulation. Heat-regulation mechanisms, such as changes in peripheral blood flow, are activated by thermal stress to maintain body homeostasis and it can results in a fluctuation of skin temperature. Although thermal comfort of horse has been studied, its relation with surface temperature is rarely seen in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to verify the potential of data mining techniques in knowledge discovery by associating surface temperature with thermal comfort of horses. The decision tree model presented 74.0% of accuracy and all attributes of dataset were considered relevant for the classification problem. The results revealed the potential of data mining techniques to equine thermal comfort classification problems

O estresse térmico em equinos aciona mecanismos termorregulatórios, como mudanças no fluxo sanguíneo periférico, para a manutenção da homeostase corporal. A termografia infravermelha permite detectar estas alterações, sendo uma ferramenta útil para avaliar o estresse em animais. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o uso da termografia infravermelha na termorregulação de equino em condição de treinamento. Foi utilizado um cavalo anglo-árabe, exercitado uma vez ao dia. Foram captadas imagens termográficas da axila, garupa, peito e virilha do cavalo e registrados os parâmetros fisiológicos antes e após exercício e 0; 5 e 10 minutos após o banho, durante 8 dias. A temperatura, a umidade relativa e a velocidade do ar foram monitoradas. A temperatura de superfície da garupa e do peito não diferiu entre os tratamentos, indicando baixa participação destas partes na termorregulação. Em contrapartida, a temperatura superficial da axila e da virilha aumentou após o exercício e diminuiu após o banho, sugerindo evidência dos mecanismos vasomotores para a troca térmica do cavalo. Comportamento semelhante foi observado para as variáveis fisiológicas, o que demonstra tentativas orgânicas do organismo para sair das condições de estresse térmico. Concluiu-se que a termografia infravermelha permitiu determinar com precisão a temperatura de superfície corporal do cavalo, sendo possível inferir sobre a termorregulação. Heat-regulation mechanisms, such as changes in peripheral blood flow, are activated by thermal stress to maintain body homeostasis. The infrared thermography enables to identify changes in blood flow and it has been valuable for recognizing stress in animals. This research aimed to evaluate the use of infrared thermography in the training horse thermoregulation. An Anglo-Arab horse was studied and exercised once a day. Infrared thermography images of horse´s armpit, croup, breast and groin and physiological parameters were taken before and after exercise and 0, 5 and 10 minutes after shower for eight days. The air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity were also registered. There were no differences between the surface temperature of croup and breast and the treatments, implying low participation in thermoregulation. However, the armpit and groin temperature increased after the exercise and decreased after shower, suggesting that vasomotor mechanisms were activated to heat exchange. Similar results were found for physiological parameters which show organism thermal responses for heat loss. It was concluded that infrared thermography allowed accuracy in determining the horse body surface temperature and it was possible to infer on thermoregulation.

O experimento foi realizado para avaliar os efeitos da suplementação das vitaminas C ou E na ração sobre o desempenho, as características de carcaça e os parâmetros hematológicos de frangos de corte mantidos em ambiente de alta temperatura. Foram utilizados 450 frangos de corte distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, com cinco tratamentos, cada um com nove repetições de 10 aves (período 1 a 21 dias) ou de 7 aves (período de 22 a 42 dias) por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos foram: ração basal (RB) sem suplementação de vitaminas C e E; RB + 300 ppm de vitamina E; RB + 230 ppm de vitamina C; RB + 300 ppm de vitamina E + 230 ppm de vitamina C; e RB + 150 ppm de vitamina E + 115 ppm de vitamina C. Não houve efeito da suplementação das vitaminas C e E no desempenho zootécnico das aves na fase de 1 a 21 dias de idade. Na fase de 1 a 42 dias, a suplementação das vitaminas C e E influenciou somente a conversão alimentar. Os melhores resultados para os pesos absoluto e relativo de peito foram observados nas aves que receberam a ração basal suplementada com as combinações das vitaminas C e E. A concentração plasmática de triiodotironina, a porcentagem de células sanguíneas, a relação heterófilo/linfócito e os pesos absoluto e relativo do baço aos 21 e 42 dias de idade não foram influenciados pela suplementação vitamínica. A suplementação das vitaminas C e ou E não influi no desempenho zootécnico, no peso do baço e nos parâmetros sanguíneos de frangos de corte mantidos até 42 dias de idade em ambiente de alta temperatura. As combinações das vitaminas C e E promovem melhora nos pesos absoluto e relativo de peito de frangos de corte sob alta temperatura. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of supplementation of vitamins C or E in the diet on performance, carcass characteristics and hematological parameters of broilers kept under high environmental temperature. Four hundred and fifty broilers were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments and nine replications, with 10 and 7 birds per experimental unit, respectively, according to the periods from 1 to 21 and 22 to 42 days old. Treatments consisted of a basal diet (RB) without supplementation of vitamins C and E; RB + 300 ppm of vitamin E; RB + 230 ppm of vitamin C; RB + 300 ppm of vitamin E + 230 of vitamin C, and RB + 150 ppm of vitamin E + 115 of vitamin C. Treatments did not influence performance of birds in the phase of 1 to 21 days of age. At 1 to 42 days of age, supplementation of vitamins C and E only influenced feed conversion. The best results for the absolute and relative weights of breast were observed in birds fed the basal diet supplemented with different combinations of vitamins C and E. Plasma concentration of triiodothyronine, percentage of blood cells, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio and absolute and relative weights of the spleen at 21 and 42 days of age were not influenced by vitamin supplementation. Supplementation of vitamins C and/or E did not influence performance, weight of the spleen or blood parameters of chickens maintained until 42 days of age in a high temperature environment. The combination of vitamins C and E promotes improvement in absolute and relative weights of breast of broilers reared under high temperature

To keep the position in being a world-wide exporter of chicken meat, Brazil must meet international quality standards, always seeking alternative resources of improvement, without increasing production costs, including litter quality, requirements of animal welfare and environment affairs, such as the use and reuse of broiler litter. Researches are performed in the areas of animal welfare, environment, animal behavior and use of modern climatization technology improving the quality of the environment created to raise broilers, also trying to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and global warming in the environment, becoming a sustainable production system. This paper has a bibliographic revision of the subject mentioned above, intending to show a state-of-art key factors related to a new concept of broiler environment and welfare. Para manter a posição de maior exportador de carne de frango, o Brasil deve se adequar às exigências internacionais dos padrões de qualidade, procurando sempre recursos alternativos de melhoria, sem grande incremento no custo de produção, incluindo a qualidade da cama, requisitos de bem-estar animal e as questões ambientais, como o uso e a reutilização das camas de frango. Para isso são necessárias pesquisas nas áreas de bem-estar animal, ambiência, comportamento animal e uso de tecnologias de climatização modernas que aperfeiçoem a qualidade do ambiente gerado para criação dos frangos, visando, além deste fator, menor emissão de gases com potencial efeito estufa para o ambiente, tornando-se um sistema de produção sustentável. De acordo com o exposto, realizou-se uma ampla revisão bibliográfica deste assunto, buscando mostrar o estado da arte dos principais fatores relacionados aos novos conceitos de ambiência e bem-estar de frangos de corte.

Thermal comfort is of great importance in preserving body temperature homeostasis during thermal stress conditions. Although the thermal comfort of horses has been widely studied, there is no report of its relationship with surface temperature (TS). This study aimed to assess the potential of data mining techniques as a tool to associate surface temperature with thermal comfort of horses. TS was obtained using infrared thermography image processing. Physiological and environmental variables were used to defi ne the predicted class, which classifi ed thermal comfort as ?comfort? and ?discomfort?. The variables of armpit, croup, breast and groin TS of horses and the predicted classes were then subjected to a machine learning process. All variables in the dataset were considered relevant for the classifi cation problem and the decision-tree model yielded an accuracy rate of 74 %. The feature selection methods used to reduce computational cost and simplify predictive learning decreased model accuracy to 70 %; however, the model became simpler with easily interpretable rules. For both these selection methods and for the classifi cation using all attributes, armpit and breast TS had a higher power rating for predicting thermal comfort. Data mining techniques show promise in the discovery of new variables associated with the thermal comfort of horses.