Heat stress (HS) remains one of the most critical challenges in poultry production, especially in tropical regions. It directly affects productivity, animal health, and ultimately farm profitability.

What is Heat Stress?

Heat stress occurs when poultry are unable to balance internal heat production with heat dissipation to the environment.

Birds are particularly vulnerable due to several biological characteristics:

• They do not have sweat glands

• Their bodies are covered with feathers

• They generate relatively high metabolic heat

When environmental temperatures exceed the thermoneutral zone, birds rely on physiological responses such as panting to release excess heat. However, this mechanism often comes at the cost of reduced production performance.

Signs and Impact on Production

Early signs of heat stress include:

• Panting with increased respiratory rate

• Reduced feed intake

• Increased water consumption

• Lower activity levels and wings held away from the body

Impacts on production:

• ↓ Reduced growth rate, egg production, and feed efficiency (FCR)

• ↓ Poor eggshell quality due to calcium imbalance

• ↑ Increased fat deposition, lowering meat quality

• ↓ Weakened immune response and reduced fertility

• ↑ Higher mortality rates in chronic heat stress cases

Nutritional Strategies to Mitigate Heat Stress

Proper nutritional management plays a key role in minimizing the effects of heat stress. Practical strategies include:

• Providing feed during cooler periods (early morning or evening)

• Increasing dietary energy density (e.g., adding fat)

• Reducing crude protein while maintaining balanced amino acids

• Supplementing vitamins and electrolytes (vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, potassium)

• Ensuring continuous access to clean, cool drinking water

Runeon® Bile Acids: Supporting Liver Function Under Heat Stress

Under heat stress conditions, maintaining liver function and efficient fat metabolism becomes essential to sustain performance.

Runeon® Bile Acids offer a metabolic-level solution by supporting digestion and liver health.

Field observations and research indicate that bile acids can:

• Improve fat digestion and energy utilization, helping offset reduced feed intake

• Reduce fat accumulation in the liver and maintain liver integrity

• Regulate lipid metabolism via the FXR pathway, limiting excessive fat synthesis

• Enhance antioxidant capacity, reducing oxidative stress caused by heat stress

Unlike conventional nutritional adjustments that focus on increasing nutrient supply, bile acids work directly at the metabolic level—ensuring nutrients are utilized more efficiently rather than simply added in greater amounts.