A Group of IPB Researchers Analysed M-CLOVE Transportation for Appropriate Poultry Transport
A broiler (Gallus gallus domesticus) is any chicken that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Broiler meat is widely consumed meat in Indonesia. Broiler chickens arrive at the farm at the same time, from the same hatchery, to maintain biosecurity on the farm. Broiler transport usually only use an open basket that watered with water to reduce the stress of heat experienced by chickens during transport. Though livestock and poultry transport is one of the most critical and visible components of the farmed animal production system and stakeholders want assurances that transport is done with animal welfare in mind. The welfare of livestock and environmental pollution caused very little attention.
Therefore, a group of researchers: namely Ahmad Yani, T.A.I.P. Pratama and R. Afnan from the Department of Animal Production and Technology (IPTP) of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry of Bogor Agricultural University (FAPET IPB), conducted research on the effect of differentiation of M-CLOVE system transportation with conventional against physiological impacts on broiler chickens.
Ahmad Yani said, M-CLOVE is a means of transporting chickens with a closed transport system designed to anticipate the circumstances that occur during transport, such as hot and cold weather. When the weather is hot, the laptop fan will adjust the temperature conditions in the box so the heat can be reduced.
Models adopt such as box models, conventional cars which were modified. Cars used are types of pick-ups or the like. The main closing box is made of plywood measures 1.35 x 2.95 x 1.75 m, its volume is 1.30 m x 1.85 m x 1.70 m. At the top of the front, the cover size is exaggerated forward to provide a gap for the wind chimney. Chicken basket loading and unloading access is on the side.
The inside of M-CLOVE is the place to put a chicken basket. In this section the basket arrangement is arranged into three levels. The first and second levels are the place of transport of chicken containing each one chicken basket. The lowest level is storage of the reactor box containing organic rice husk material that serves to absorb the smell of chicken manure. There is ventilation on the side and back of M-CLOVE as a source of air circulation.
Meanwhile, conventional chickens transportation are using conventional chicken baskets arranged in pickup truck or pickup trucks. This transport can’t protect chickens from heat or rain, so it can cause increased stress in chickens. Conventional chicken basket measures 95 x 50 x 25 cm.
The researchers used 30-day-old harvest-ready broilers total 10 males and 10 females. Each basket was filled with 5 male and 5 female broilers. Transportation took one hour trip, and speed of the vehicle was 40 kilometers / hour. Another transportation process was carried out for 35 and 40 days of age broilers.
Based on the results obtained researcher explained that the relative temperature and humidity averages during the transport process on M-CLOVE was lower than that of a conventional basket. Temperature difference occurred at 1.40C with a relative humidity difference of 2.5 percent. The difference was due to closed design of M-CLOVE that protect broilers from direct sun exposure and the air circulation of fan that kept the temperature and humidity relatively constant. Conventional basket transport equipment has no protection at all against direct exposure to sunlight, so the body of chickens exposed to direct heat from sunlight. Therefore, there is a need to re-evaluate The management of poultry and equipment used in transportation must be protected from the heat so that heat stress is minimised. Heat Stress not only causes suffering and death in the birds, but also results in reduced or lost production that adversely affects the profit from the enterprise.
"Transportation broiler chicken using M-CLOVE can reduce the stress level of the birds seen from the temperature of the comb, shank (lower leg), and lower rectal compared to broiler chickens transported using a conventional basket. The heat release is higher in the shank than in the broiler’ combs," he said. (Wied)
