This work was focused in the efficiency of housing for calves, based on thermal comfort indexes (radiant thermal load, black globe humidity index and black globe index). It was compared animal housing covered with commercial corrugated sheets produced with asbestos cement and cellulose cement tiles. The experiment was carried out in a system of conventional housing, box type, with five treatments: roofs with asbestos cement tiles, cellulose cement tiles, cellulose cement painted tiles and double layer of cement cellulose tiles, all of them exposed to the sunlight and cement cellulose roof under shade. The experiment involved five replications (one calf per replication), during the spring time of 2002, in Pirassununga, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Physiological variables of thermoregulation (respiration rate and rectal temperature) were registered. The housing directly exposed to the sunlight and covered with asbestos cement sheets presented the less satisfactory results for the animal thermal comfort in comparison with the other treatments also exposed to the sun. The housing covered with cellulose cement tiles under shade showed the best results of thermal comfort. The results of the physiological variables were significantly better for the treatment positioned under shade. A satisfactory relation between the thermal comfort indexes and the physiological results (especially respiration rate) were found for the conditions of the present work.
bovines; asbestos cement; cellulose cement
