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Water Quality Martijn Gruyters 1587578521 PDF
Water Quality Martijn Gruyters 1587578521 PDF
Maintain pressure
on water quality
Water is often the forgotten nutrient but plays a very be disturbed due to external factors (diseases, etc). This arti-
important role in unlocking genetic potential. Water cle will discuss the importance of water quality and how to
maintain it, along with drinker management.
quality and management of the system supplying
water to the birds is vital to ensuring optimum flock Water quality
performance. In general it can be said that if the water is not good enough
for us to drink then it won’t be good enough for our birds to
drink either. Several factors will affect water quality, with the
BY MARTIJN GRUYTERS, SENIOR TECHNICAL MANAGER, COBB-EUROPE source, bacteria, pH level, hardness and TDS (total dissolved
solids) being the most important. When the water supply to a
A
s long as we are rearing broilers for meat produc- poultry house is not properly managed it may harbour chal-
tion, nutrition is a subject which the industry will lenges, such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa. A poultry
continue to discuss. The quantity of protein, ener- drinking system offers a perfect environment for bacteria. Es-
gy and vitamins administered play an important pecially during the start of a broiler flock with high brooding
role in unlocking the genetic potential of today’s high perfor- temperatures, the temperature of the water can easily and
Birds will spend mance breeds. This is certainly important but what we must rapidly increase. Together with the slow movement of the
less than one never lose sight of is the most crucial nutrient, which is water. water in the system (when consumption is at a low rate) this
minute drinking, Water consumption is nearly double the amount of feed con- creates an ideal environment for bacteria to grow. The tem-
therefore, they sumed and plays a key role in the transfer of nutrients, the re- perature of the water can be easily checked using a combined
should be able moval of toxins and heat dispersion, and is also involved in temperature/pH measuring device. Temperatures above
to consume the many chemical reactions. About 70% of the chick weight 26.7°C will significantly reduce water intake and subsequent-
desired amount consists of water, 70% of which is intracellular and 30% is ly feed intake. Ideally, water temperature should be below
within this min- blood and interstitial cell space. Young growing birds will 20°C but always aim to keep it under 25°C.
ute or perfor- consume more water than they excrete due to the high de- Water samples should be taken at least twice a year (once
mance will be mand for water by the developing organs. As birds get older, during the summer and once during the winter) and tested
reduced. the intake will equal the water excretion but this balance can for microbial as well as mineral content. Samples should be
taken at the source and at the end of the drinking line. Make
sure the water is fresh when sampled so let it run for a few
minutes before taking the sample. Use a sterile container
with no airspace and samples should reach the lab within
24 hours of sampling. Table 1 can be used as a guideline for
evaluating the lab results.
The pH (power of hydrogen) value also has a major impact on
water quality and consumption. Pure water has a pH of 7 and
a scale change of 1 represents a ten-fold difference. If pH lev-
els get above 8, water consumption will be reduced with all
the attendant adverse effects on feed intake and flock perfor-
mance. If the pH drops below 6, vaccines and medication
supplied in the drinking water will be negatively affected. If
the pH drops to less than 3, the water will be unpalatable and
have a corrosive effect on the equipment. And, last but not
PHOTO: COBB
PHOTO: COBB
quently feed intake and growth. The height of the drinkers
will depend on the age of the flock. To start with the beak of
Never assume the bird must have a 35 to 45 degree angle to the floor for
that the water sanitising tool will be more effective. Effective chlorination easy access. As the birds grow this angle can increase to 75 to
quality is good. requires a pH<7. 85 degrees to avoid spillage. If the drinking height is not cor-
Always: test it, A relatively easy way to test the disinfection potential of wa- rect this can be seen immediately from the behavior and wa-
treat it and ter in a broiler house is to use an oxidation reduction poten- ter consumption patterns of the birds. It is important to test
flush it. tial meter (ORP meter) which measures in millivolts (mV). The the amount of water that the nipples provide. This will be de-
higher the value, the better the disinfecting power of the termined by the type of nipple, the pressure in the waterline
chlorine added to the water. A low value indicates a heavy or- and the cleanliness of the system. A simple way to test this is
ganic load which will reduce the biocidal efficacy of chlorine. with a nipple flow meter. Table 2 can be used as a reference
The optimum level to kill E. coli and viruses is 650mV, while for water flow rate based on the age of the birds.
Salmonellae or Clostridia need a slight increase of 750mV. At Birds will spend less than one minute drinking, therefore,
levels of <250mV, chlorine will not be effective. they should be able to consume the desired amount within
this minute or performance will be reduced. Incorrect water-
Drinker systems and management line management will greatly impact the performance of a
Many factors will influence the consumption of water in a flock and a 20% water intake reduction can already result in
broiler house (e.g. age, breed, house temperature, physical 200 gramme reduction in weight at 21 days. If water con-
structure of the feed). A major factor will be the type of sumption decreases at any point during the bird health cycle,
drinking equipment installed in the broiler house and how environment and management should be re-assessed.
many units are available to the birds (i.e. number of birds per The main risk with closed water systems is the build-up of a
drinker/nipple). biofilm which typically is not visible. This biofilm is a thick
Over the last 20 years drinking systems for broilers have been mucus (slime) secreted by bacteria which builds up on the in-
further improved and fine-tuned but the major change from side of a waterline if the system is not managed properly. This
a hygiene point of view was a switch from open water sys- biofilm can cause flock health challenges as it harbours bac-
tems (bell drinkers) to closed systems (nipple lines). Open teria such as E. coli and salmonella. Biofilms are also difficult
to remove and require mechanical action to remove them
from the water system. They may also block nipples or cause
Table 2 – Guidelines for water flow
them to leak. A robust cleaning and sanitising programme
rate in nipple drinkers.
during a turnaround is recommended to prevent biofilms.
Age in weeks Flow rate Between flocks, it is recommended that the waterline be
ml/min flushed and sanitised for biofilm control. Flushing is only ef-
1 40 fective with a water flow of 2 m/s (1.5 to 2 bars). A proven
2 50 product to remove a biofilm from a drinker system is hydro-
3 60 gen peroxide as it will break down the biofilm and is non-cor-
4 70 rosive for the drinking system. Hydrogen peroxide is effective
5 -> 90 against bacteria, fungi, algae and viruses when used in the
proper dosage and in good time.