French poultry farmers assess heatwave impact while monitoring future weather risks

They are doing everything possible to provide the best conditions for their poultry, the broiler producers' organisation Anvol says, whilst keeping a close eye out for another heat spell.

“First of all, it is important to know that poultry are animals that do not have a sweat system, which means they do not sweat. They therefore evacuate heat by panting through their beaks. This is why they are very sensitive to rising temperatures: the hotter it is, the faster their breathing rate increases,” says veterinarian Dominique Balloy in an Anvol publication.

Mitigating heat stress in the sheds

Although farms are built differently, the objective is always to limit the heat stress of the poultry as much as possible in the face of exceptionally intense hot spells. In climate-controlled poultry farms, the facilities are now mostly equipped with ventilation, misting, and cooling systems to help the animals regulate their temperature. On free-range farms where animals go outside, farmers open their sheds completely and add fans. “Over the last ten years, professionals have invested massively to modernise their farms or build new ones equipped with these systems,” Anvol stresses.

In addition, farmers adapt the poultry feed by feeding in the morning and evening to avoid the hottest hours, thereby limiting the additional body heat linked to digestion. At the same time, the poultry continue to benefit from an unlimited supply of water, supplemented with vitamins, plants, and minerals.

“Farmers are all extremely vigilant: they visit their poultry houses frequently. They come several times a day and night to see firsthand the state of health of their animals and to check that the equipment is functioning properly. Limiting mortality in their poultry houses is their top priority,” the organisation stresses.

Contingency plans for high mortality

If animals die, they are collected from the farm and stored temporarily on-site. Farmers work with the competent authorities to find a suitable solution. In the event of saturation in rendering circuits—which has happened recently in the country—exceptional solutions are put in place under the supervision of state services. These include organising deferred collection by rendering companies, using refrigerated or extended frozen storage, or, where authorised, carrying out supervised burials using lime on validated sites.