5.Conclusions
Thepresentstudyrevealedthatenvironmentalenrichmentthroughtheprovision
carcassandmeatqualityofbroilerchickens.Heatstressadverselyaffectedmostofthe
ofcooledmultifunctionalplatformsdidnotcompromisetheproductionperformanceor
functionalityseparatelywithrespecttoanimalwelfare,performance,andenvironmental
loweredmortalityratesunderheat-stressconditionsandreducedtheriskofbreastmus
clemyopathies,likelyduetothecoolingfunctionality.Giventhesepromisingresults,
performancevariablesexceptthefeedconversionratio.Accesstotheseelevatedplatforms
furtherresearchshouldfocusondevelopingtheplatformprototypestobemoresuitable
forcommercialuptake.Additionalstudiesareneededtoevaluatetheeffectsofthese
impact.Forinstance,theoptimaltemperaturesettingforwatercooling,dependingonthe
platformsundercommercialconditions,includingtheassessmentandoptimisationofeach
ageofthebirdsandtheambienttemperature,needstobeinvestigated.