WARMER weather in Negros Occidental is currently affecting the local poultry production particularly of the broiler, the top official of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena yesterday told SunStar Bacolod that his office has noted a mortality rate of five to seven percent from the total monthly production of broiler due to heat stress.
The average monthly production of broiler in the province is pegged at 3.6 million heads.
Based on the monitoring of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD), the heat index in Negros Occidental including its capital Bacolod City Wednesday, April 25, climbed to 43 degrees Celsius.
Decena said aside from higher mortality rate, heat stress is resulting in stunted or slow growth of chicken especially among conventional farms.
“During normal weather, the allowable mortality rate is only three to five percent,” he said, adding that intense heat would result in about 10 to 20 percent stunted growth among conventional structures like those made of bamboo and nipa hut.
Of the 117 contract grower-members of the Association of Broilers Integrators in Negros Occidental, only 15 have tunnel ventilated or controlled temperature while the remaining farms are conventional using light materials.
Decena said tunnel ventilated farms including those using automatic feeder and waterer are not affected by the hotter temperature.
He said some of the conventional farms are currently not loaded because of a class break during the summer season.
This results to lower demand of dressed chicken in urban centers, Decena said, adding that based on heat conversion ratio raisers will surely incur losses due to stunted growth.
Amid the warmer weather, PVO is advising conventional farms to reduce their loading capacity by 10 to 20 percent.
They should provide additional water every three hours with vitamin electrolytes.
Animals should also have adequate housing and proper health care, the provincial veterinarian said.
Aside from broiler, PVO is still monitoring possible damage and losses brought by intense heat to other animals in the province.