Chicken raising must pay attention to the management of drinking water system

Daily water intake is a good indicator of the health of the flock. Record daily food intake and check feed intake. A sudden change in water intake is a very important signal. If the amount of food is increased, first check whether the drinking water system is leaking, the water pressure, the room temperature and the salt content in the feed. If these factors can be ruled out, then check the health status of the flock (disease, immune response). Also, check to see if the increase in water intake occurred after feeding, due to a change in the feeding phase or feed. Feed composition can affect water intake. When the amount of drinking water increases, ventilation needs to be enhanced. Increased water intake can cause problems in densely stocked flocks and can be resolved by reducing stocking density. If the amount of drinking water is too little, the flock will be depressed. This is the first thing to check whether the drinking water system is normal. The water pressure should not be too low, otherwise drips will occur. The water pressure in the water line should not be too high, because if the water pressure is too high, the chicken needs to peck hard at the nipple drinker to drink water, which will lead to a decrease in drinking water. For chicks, the water pressure should be lowered first, so that the chicks can see the water droplets, so that they can easily find the nipple drinker. Then increase the water pressure to prevent water leakage and wet litter. But too much pressure will cause the water to splash.

Water intake depends on feed intake, feed, house temperature and age of the birds.

At present, the most widely used drinking water system is the nipple-type closed drinking water system. Although it can ensure that drinking water is not polluted by the environment, managers cannot directly check the cleanliness of drinking water, making it difficult to monitor water quality. When the bacteria in the drinking water adhere to the pipe wall of the drinking water system for a long time, a layer of biofilm will be formed. No matter how the drinking water is disinfected, it is difficult to remove all these bacteria. Once the bacteria attach to the tube wall, they secrete sticky substances to form a biofilm, and other pathogens will be attracted to colonize, making the biofilm a veritable culture medium for bacteria.

Reasonably adjust the water pressure

The water pressure in the nipple drinker should be evenly distributed so that the water is delivered without waste. If the water pressure is too low, the water consumption of the poultry will decrease by 20%. If the water pressure is too high, the water consumption of the poultry will not increase, but more water will be discharged from the nipple, resulting in wet litter. This will firstly produce ammonia gas, burn the poultry’s respiratory mucosa, and reduce the immune response. Secondly, the humidity of the litter is conducive to the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms, especially the outbreak of coccidiosis, which will stimulate the proliferation of Clostridium in the intestinal mucosa and cause necrosis. Enteritis. Therefore, the water pressure should be adjusted regularly to ensure that the bedding is always in a fluffy state (the bedding is formed into a ball by hand, and it will break and disperse after landing), and the poultry house should be inspected regularly. Once leaking nipples are found, repair or replace them immediately.

Adjust the waterline height in time

As the poultry grows, the height of the waterline should be adjusted at any time. On the 1st to 2nd day of age, the height of the nipples should be at the same level as the eyes. During the brooding period, the neck of the poultry should be at a 45° angle to the waterline, and after the rearing, it should be at a 75° angle. In this way, the water from the nipples can basically flow into the poultry’s mouth instead of the water line. will leak on the litter. If the water line is too low, the birds shrink back to drink water, causing a lot of water to leak into the litter, causing bacterial diseases and coccidiosis. Conversely, if the water line is too high, many poultry will not be able to drink water, leading to dehydration, reduced feed intake, and substandard body weight. Therefore, poultry crops should be touched on time every day. When the feed in the crops is still stuck together, it means that the drinking water is insufficient, and the reason should be found out quickly.

Improve drinking water quality

At a suitable temperature, the number of bacteria in drinking water can double every 20 minutes, which shows the rapid reproduction of bacteria. Generally, acidification is used to reduce the pH value of water, which can prevent digestive disorders and promote enzymatic absorption. Electrolytes can also be added to drinking water to help poultry maintain mineral balance and enhance the body's resistance and anti-stress energy. Practice has proved that without the use of antibiotics, strengthening the management of drinking water systems and maintaining comfortable and hygienic environmental conditions can promote poultry intestinal health and obtain better economic benefits.

Although using a drip cup can prevent the bedding from getting wet and reduce footpad diseases, it is not necessary to use a drip cup because the quality of the nipples of the drinking fountains is now very good, and the drinker cup is easily contaminated.

One of the reasons why chicks drink less water is because the drinker nipple is too high or too low. Adjust the height to see if it will affect the amount of drinking water. The proper height of the nipple drinker is directly above the chicken's head. When the chicken raises its head to drink, the water just flows into its mouth. You can adjust to the optimum height by raising or lowering the drinker nipple.

For 1-week-old chicks, the angle between the beak and the waterline should be 30-45 degrees.

For chickens over 1 week old, the angle between the beak and the waterline should be 75-85 degrees.

If the drinker nipples are low, the flock will not drink enough water. Check water pressure and nipple output regularly. The flow rate can be judged by the flow of water in one minute. Take several more points on the waterline to check the water flow. According to the empirical value, the appropriate water flow rate is: broiler age + 20 ml/min. For example: 35 days old + 20 = 55 ml/min. Water splashes through the assembly, which deteriorates the quality of the litter and eventually leads to poor quality broilers and foot pad damage. Too little water flow will cause broilers to drink less water.