Productive performance of Cobb 500 broilers under different environmental management in Leon, Nicaragua
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22285720Keywords:
Cobb 500, feed intake, heat stress, mortality, productive performance, warm climateAbstract
Introduction: Broiler production is key for food security, but in tropical regions, heat stress compromises performance. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate weight gain, feed intake, and mortality in Cobb 500 broilers under warm climate conditions in Nicaragua. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, and non-experimental cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 4,000 birds, selecting a sample of 351 chickens. Three sequential batches exposed to different average temperatures due to progressive environmental management improvements were evaluated: Batch 1 (32.5 °C), Batch 2 (29.8 °C), and Batch 3 (26.4 °C). Results: Results showed a progressive increase in zootechnical parameters. Weight gain increased from 1754.41 g (Batch 1) to 2182.29 g (Batch 3), and daily feed intake rose from 45.06 g/bird/day to 53.54 g/bird/day. Furthermore, the cumulative mortality rate drastically decreased from 7.41 % in Batch 1 to 1.42 % in Batch 3, showing the direct impact of broiler house thermal control. Conclusion: It is concluded that optimizing technical-environmental management through forced ventilation effectively mitigates heat stress in warm zones. This not only promotes survival and continuous nutrient intake but also allows the maximum expression of the genetic potential of the Cobb 500 line, improving the efficiency of the productive system.
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