Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-vsgnj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T13:47:53.488Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effects of ambient temperature and air movement on heat loss from the pig

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

W. H. Close ,
R. P. Heavens  and
D. Brown
W. H. Close
Affiliation:
ARC Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT
R. P. Heavens
Affiliation:
ARC Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT
D. Brown
Affiliation:
ARC Statistics Group, Department of Applied Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DX
Get access

Abstract

The heat losses of 24 individually housed pigs (initial body weights 20·0 to 31·8 kg) were measured for periods of 7 days at environmental temperatures of 10, 20 and 30°C. Within each environmental temperature three levels of air movement, 3, 33 and 56cm/s, were applied for a 2- or 3-day period either in an increasing or decreasing order.

Heat loss was dependent on the environmental temperature and level of air movement to which the animals were exposed. The decrease in total thermal insulation at the highest air movement was equivalent to reducing the air-ambient insulation to almost zero. In terms of its thermal effect a 5cm/s increase in wind-speed was equivalent to a 1°C decrease in temperature.

The lower critical temperature increased with increase in air movement from 19° at 3cm/s to 25° and 30°C at 33 and 56cm/s, respectively. Between air movement rates of 33 and 56cm/s, a 1°C decrease in critical temperature resulted from a 5·3cm/s decrease in air movement.

The effect of increasing air movement from 3 to 56cm/s was to increase the animal's maintenance energy requirements from 706 to 881 kJ/kg0·75 per day at 10°C, from 490 to 715 at 20°C and from 517 to 625 at 30°C.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , February 1981 , pp. 75 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1981

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Blaxter, K. L. 1977. Environmental factors and their influence on the nutrition of farm livestock. In Nutrition and the Climatic Environment (ed. Haresign, W., Swan, H. and Lewis, D.), pp. 1–16. Butterworth, London.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Joyce, J. P. and Wainman, F. W. 1963. Effect of air velocity on the heat losses ofsheep and cattle. Nature, Lond. 198: 1115–1116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. and Wainman, F. W. 1964. The effect of increased air movement on the heat production and emission of steers. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 62: 207–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bond, T. E., Heitman, H. Jr, and Kelly, C. F. 1965. Effects of increased air velocities on heat and moisture loss and growth of swine. Trans. ASAE 8: 167–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brody, S. 1945. Bioenergetics and Growth. Reinhold, New York.Google Scholar
Burton, A. C. and Edholm, O. G. 1955. Man in a Cold Environment. Edward Arnold, London.Google Scholar
Close, W. H. 1978. The effects of plane of nutrition and environmental temperature on the energy metabolism of the growing pig. 3. The efficiency of energy utilization for maintenance and growth. Br. J. Nutr. 40: 433–438.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Close, W. H. and Mount, L. E. 1975. The rate of heat loss during fasting in the growing pig. Br. J. Nutr. 34: 279–290.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Close, W. H. and Mount, L. E. 1978. The effects of plane of nutrition and environmental temperature on the energy metabolism of the growing pig. 1. Heat loss and critical temperature. Br. J. Nutr. 40: 413–421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gonzalez-Jimenez, E. and Blaxter, K. L. 1962. The metabolism and thermal regulation of calves in the first month of life. Br. J. Nutr. 16: 199–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joyce, J. P., Blaxter, K. L. and Park, C. 1966. The effect of natural outdoor environments on the energy requirements of sheep. Res. vet. Sci. 7: 342–359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kleiber, M. 1975. The Fire of Life. 2nd ed. John Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Mount, L. E. 1966. The effect of wind-speed on heat production in the new-born pig. Q. Jl exp. Physiol. 51: 18–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mount, L. E. 1975. The assessment of thermal environment in relation to pig production. Livest. Prod. Sci. 2: 381–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mount, L. E. 1977. The use of heat transfer coefficients in estimating sensible heat loss from the pig. Anim. Prod. 25: 271–279.Google Scholar
Mount, L. E. 1979. Adaptation to Thermal Environment. Edward Arnold, London.Google Scholar
Mount, L. E. and Ingram, D. L. 1965. The effects of ambient temperature and air movement on localized sensible heat-loss from the pig. Res. vet. Sci. 6: 84–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verstegen, M. W. A. and Van Der Hel, W. 1976. Energy balances in groups of pigs in relation to air velocity and ambient temperature. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Vermorel, M.), pp. 347–350. Eur. Ass. Anim. Prod. Publ. No. 19.Google Scholar
Verstegen, M. W. A., Close, W. H., Start, I. B. and Mount, L. E. 1973. The effects of environmental temperature and plane of nutrition on heat loss, energy retention and deposition of protein and fat in groups of growing pigs. Br. J. Nutr. 30: 21–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Webster, A. J. F. 1974. Heat loss from cattle with particular emphasis on the effects of cold. In Heat Loss from Animals and Man (ed. Monteith, J. L. and Mount, L. E.), pp. 205–232. Butterworth, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, A. J. F., Chlumecky, J. and Young, B. A. 1970. Effects of cold environments on the energy exchanges of young beef cattle. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 50: 89–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar