Spatial behavior of the thermo-luminous conditions of facility laying hens in naturally ventilated vertical system

ABSTRACT The facilities for laying hens should be designed to provide thermal comfort and satisfactory luminosity for the production of quality eggs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial behavior of thermal conditions and light intensity of facilities for laying hens with vertical cages naturally conditioned during winter and summer. Air temperature, air relative humidity and light intensity data were collected in 75 points distributed evenly through the longitudinal direction of the installation in three tiers of cages (first, third and sixth). Each point represented a set of coordinates (x, y, z), being the x-axis the lines (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5), y-axis the sections (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5) and z-axis the tiers (N1, N2, N3). The spatial behavior of the thermal conditions of the facility was held during the coldest period of winter and the warmest period of summer. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme. In the winter, the temperature showed homogeneous behavior among sections and variable among lines. In the summer, the spatial variability of temperature and humidity was more accentuated than in the winter, mainly among tiers. For both seasons, the center of the facility presented lower light intensity than the lateral. From the spatial behavior of the thermal conditions of the facility laying hens, it is possible to verify the magnitude and variability of temperature, relative humidity and light intensity, identify vulnerable and deficit thermal regions and contribute to decision-making related to thermal conditioning and luminosity of the facility. RESUMO As instalações para galinhas poedeiras devem ser concebidas para proporcionarem conforto térmico e satisfatória luminosidade para uma produção de ovos de qualidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o comportamento espacial das condições térmicas e intensidade luminosa de aviários verticais para galinhas poedeiras acondicionados naturalmente, durante o inverno e verão. Dados de temperatura do ar, umidade relativa do ar e intensidade luminosa foram coletados em 75 pontos distribuídos uniformemente no sentido longitudinal do aviário, em três andares de gaiolas, (primeiro, terceiro e sexto). Cada ponto representava um conjunto de coordenadas (x, y, z) sendo no sentido do eixo x as linhas (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) eixo y as seções (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5) e eixo z os níveis (N1, N2, N3). O comportamento espacial das condições térmicas do aviário foi realizado no per