Thermal Field in the Cargo Compartment of a Single Box Trucks During the Transport of Day-Old Chicks: a Kriging Interpolation Analysis

One-day-old chicks require strict thermal control during transportation to ensure their well-being and survival. This study aims to evaluate the internal environmental conditions inside the cargo compartment of a box truck during the transport of 62,000 chicks over a 520 km journey lasting 11 hours. Temperature data were collected using sensors and analyzed using the Kriging method to generate thermal distribution maps from the cargo compartment of the box truck. Although the air conditioning system of the box truck was designed to maintain an ambient temperature within the range of 24 °C to 26 °C, the results have shown a higher prevalence of elevated temperatures in the front section of the compartment, with peaks of 27 °C, thus, revealing significant temperature deviations from the recommended range, indicating inadequate environmental control. These findings emphasize the need for improved thermal regulation systems during road transportation to ensure the chicks’ well-being and health, contributing to greater productivity efficiency in the poultry industry. Keywords: Bird Transportation. Hygrothermal Conditions. Poultry Farming. Thermal Stress.