Sector Poultry

Water management for broiler chick success

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The importance of water is often underestimated. Both quality and availability of the drinking water are of great importance to the performance, development, and health of our birds. However, how do we ensure a sufficient water supply?

A bird consists of approximately 60% water. In fact, water is the most important nutrient and without it, survival time is limited. This is because it plays a key role in the transportation of nutrients, elimination of waste, and maintaining the temperature balance of the chicks.

At normal temperatures, birds consume at least twice as much water as feed. In a hot and humid climate, the water consumption can double or even quadruple. The drinking behavior of chickens is strongly linked to foraging behavior; when there is no access to water, chicks will eat little or no feed. If chicks do not have access to feed, they will drink very little water. This is why the importance of both early feeding and good drinking water is crucial.

Typical drinking behavior

On average, broilers drink for less than a minute at a time. During this minute, a chick typically pecks three to five times to absorb the desired amount of water. If this behavior deviates, investigate why and solve the problem. Observing the drinking routine of chicks can help find problems in the water availability.

Availability and flow rate

There are many factors that influence water consumption: individual animal behavior, nutrition, housing/environment, and water quality are a few. An adequate water supply is important to ensure that enough drinking water is available to the entire flock.

There should be a sufficient amount of drinking nipples. One nipple per 8–12 birds with a maximum of 6 meters between the lines is recommended. The correct height of the nipples enables accessible drinking water to birds throughout their life (Figure 1).

Water nipple height

Next to the placement of the drinking nipples and lines, there should be a sufficient and even flow rate in the drinking lines. The optimal flow rate depends on the age of the birds and should be adapted accordingly (Figure 1). Especially as a low flow rate can decrease flock performance. Monitoring daily water consumption is a simple and effective way to monitor flock progress. Daily water consumption should steadily increase.

Figure 1: Drinking position of broilers in degrees in relation to age in days

Next to the placement of the drinking nipples and lines, there should be a sufficient and even flow rate in the drinking lines. The optimal flow rate depends on the age of the birds and should be adapted accordingly (Table 1). Especially as a low flow rate can decrease flock performance. Monitoring daily water consumption is a simple and effective way to monitor flock progress. Daily water consumption should steadily increase.

Recommended water line flow rates

Age (weeks)Watering (ml/min)
140
250
360
470
>590
Table 1: Watering rate in milliliters per minute by age of the broilers in weeks

Risks of biofilm

For an assessment of the quality of drinking water, it is important to use your senses. Drinking water should be colorless, clear, odorless, and tasteless.

The quality of the drinking water is largely influenced by the presence of microorganisms. These microorganisms start to grow on deposits of minerals and organic dirt particles on the pipe walls to produce a slimy layer on the inside of the drinking pipe called a biofilm. Increased amounts of minerals like iron, manganese, and lime increase the chance of a biofilm forming. This film can lead to extra wear, blockages, and leaks in the line. Substances like vaccines, antibiotics, or vitamins can also promote the formation of a biofilm.

The presence of a biofilm in a drinking line will lead to reduced production and can cause health problems. A particularly dangerous time for biofilm formation is at the start of a round. During this time, the animals drink relatively little water—which means there is little flow through the pipes—and the house temperature is high. These are ideal conditions for the development of microorganisms like Salmonella, campylobacter, E. coli, and enterococci to thrive in a biofilm. When a biofilm is present, the animals are continuously ingesting high concentrations of bacteria through the drinking water.

It is important to rinse the water lines regularly during a round and to clean and disinfect them after each round. If this is not done, the water may already be significantly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria at the start of a round. Bacteriological contamination can cause chicks to have abnormal water intake, poor digestion, or even higher mortality.

Testing for quality

In general, if drinking water is not suitable for humans, it is also not appropriate for broilers. To find out whether the water content differs between houses or if pathogenic contamination is present, the drinking water must be analyzed. There are two types of tests, namely a chemical analysis that focuses on the levels of certain substances in the water, and a bacteriological analysis that determines whether bacteria, yeasts, or fungi are present in the water. The advice is to perform both analyses at least twice a year to investigate whether the drinking water quality is in order .

Water is crucial for life, thereby monitoring water consumption is one of the simplest and most effective tools to assess flock progress. Therefore, ensuring the availability of clean drinking water is required. For good performance, it is important to have a sufficient amount of correctly placed drinking nipples with an adequate flow rate of clean drinking water. Water is required to help your birds perform their best.

Your Earlyfeed expert
Stefan Alius
Product Manager Poultry

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