Water is vital ingredient in poultry farming
On a poultry farm, the poultry farmer thinks the nutrition of his chickens is in terms of how balanced the feed he uses to feed them, the amount of proper lighting, or maybe the quality of air his chicken receives. He forgets or pays no attention to how clean or safe the water source is.
When I was young, I experienced my father losing all the birds in his poultry, not once or twice. He tried all possible disinfectants and treatments available but did not change anything. It can be a very daunting experience.
The quality of water your birds get plays a significant role in how healthy they become. Water can be easily infected, for instance, by bacteria through wrong handling with a dirty hand or water equipment not correctly cleaned after adding antibiotics, acids, and vitamins.
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| Importance of good water in poultry production |
QUALITY OF YOUR POULTRY FARM WATER
As a known fact that your birds consume more water than feed, water is the nutrient of the highest importance. This makes water contaminated with microorganisms, algae, dust, and rust a severe threat to your birds and profit. Water quality is classified into microbial water quality and chemical water quality.
These two qualities are closely connected as living organisms determine microbial quality. In contrast, the chemical quality includes molecules such as iron, manganese, calcium, and magnesium, which determine the water hardness and pH level. Excess of these minerals causes precipitation in pipes (this can lead to pipe leakages), whereby precipitation is an ideal soil for microorganisms that form a biofilm (biofilm is a visible slime layer).
Iron and Manganese
These two minerals, iron, and manganese, in average concentrations, are not harmful to your chickens via drinking water. However, iron can deposit inside water lines by the presence of oxygen, turning soluble iron into insoluble iron. It gives the watercolor as the presence of iron is the leading cause of color in water.
When there is a low water flow, manganese can cause black sediment in the water. High concentration levels of manganese and iron can cause a difference in water taste, which the chickens will reject. It results in low feed consumption, which causes adverse effects on the flock's health.
A high concentration of these minerals to drinker lines creates a suitable environment for the attachment of microbes and subsequently formation of bio-film, especially the first week after hatch due to low water flow and increased temperatures.
Bio-film
The bio-film serves as a breeding ground for microorganisms as it contains sugars, proteins, iron, and manganese. Therefore it poses a severe threat to your birds and their health. The bio-film can harm water equipment, give odor and unpleasant taste to the water, and quickly spread diseases among your birds.
Bio-films, which are in drinker lines and contaminated water, have an essential role in spreading antimicrobial resistance. They reduce the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment and feed supplements.
Microorganisms form the bio-film as a protective mode because bio-film protects microorganisms against pH stress, UV radiation, chemical exposure, and dehydration. The biofilm formation is in 5 phases. In the first four phases, the bacteria cells lose their mobility but communicate together and grow their bacterial colonies to their maximum size and thickness. In the last phase, the bacteria cells regain their mobility. The cells then disperse to colonize new areas.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR FARM WATER QUALITY
With the understanding of how water quality either improves or degrades the performance of your poultry birds, you should take measures. These measures ensure water quality is maintained from its source to the drinker to avoid contamination.
1. The Use of Hydrogen Peroxide and Silver Complex to Clean Water Pipes
Results show that coliforms and bacterial contaminations are less likely to occur in water samples treated with hydrogen peroxide and silver complexes. It is due to their high disinfecting capability against biofilm.
The most crucial factor in determining what to clean your pipe is a product that will kill the pathogens and microbes by oxidizing and not damaging the drinker lines or supply lines. Hydrogen peroxide, which provides a sassing sound when used in the drinker lines of farms, is influential in deactivating lipids, proteins, and nucleic acid.
2. Acidification of Water for Optimal pH level
Water acidification is a management practice that can help inhibit or reduce the colonization of pathogenic bacteria. Birds can tolerate a pH of 4 to 8 continuously. Still, pathogenic bacteria will rapidly multiply once the pH goes above 5.
Acidified water lowers the pH, which acidifies the area where food is stored temporarily in the chicken after it passes through the esophagus. Acidified water reduces populations of bacteria due to the low pH, can help mitigate the adverse effect of stress, and support early protein digestion.
The use of organic acids, probiotics, and sanitizers can be used for water acidification. Knowing what works for you and being mindful not to use in excess as their corrosive effect destroys equipment after prolonged use.
3. Test Water Quality Regularly
It is necessary to conduct regular tests on the quality of your water. It should be from the source to the drinking nipples when the water has passed through the pipes to determine possible variations from the start to the outlet.
With the information obtained, you can make necessary adjustments. You can give water treatments to provide a safer pH level for your birds. Water tests also determine if a pipe should be cleaned or if the source has to be changed.
Samples from water tests should be taken to qualified laboratories. The samples should be taken regularly to determine their composition as these vary from region to region. You should make treatments or adjustments only if the water quality analysis results warrant it.
With better water quality, you will significantly reduce the chances of your birds being infected with microorganisms. These microorganisms can affect their health and reduce the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments and feed supplements, limiting your poultry production.