Strategic Management to Combat Heat Stress in Poultry Production

Abstract

The effects of heat stress (HS) caused by high temperatures continue to be a global concern in poultry production. Poultry birds are homoeothermic; however, modern day chickens are highly susceptible to HS due to their inefficiency in dissipating heat from their body due to the lack of sweat glands. During HS, the heat load is higher than the chickens' ability to regulate it. This can disturb normal physiological functioning, affect metabolism and cause behavioural changes, respiratory alkalosis and immune dysregulation in birds. These adverse effects cause gut dysbiosis and, therefore, reduce nutrient absorption and energy metabolism. This consequently reduces production performances and causes economic losses. Several strategies have been explored to combat the effects of heat stress. These include environmentally controlled houses, provision of clean cold water, low stocking density, supplementation of appropriate feed additives, dual and restricted feeding regimes, early heat conditioning and genetic selection of poultry lines to produce heat‐resistant birds. In which one best strategy is the probiotics are gaining the attention of poultry nutritionists, as they are capable of improving the physiology, gut health, and immune system of poultry under heat stress. Therefore, application of probiotics along with proper management are considered to potentially help negate some of the negative impacts of heat stress on poultry. Despite all these efforts, HS still remains a challenge in the poultry sector. Therefore, there is a need to explore effective strategies to address this long‐lasting problem.