Water – the forgotten nutrient

Water is a precious commodity which is essential to life – both for us and our birds. So why do we pay so little attention to how and what our birds drink? We spend a lot of time looking at and worrying about feed quality, probably because we see it as such a large cost of production but we tend to take water for granted.

Why is water so important?

Water makes up about 70% of the birds’ body and keeps most bodily functions working. Birds are constantly losing water in eggs, droppings, breath and other secretions so there is an obvious need for constant replenishment. For illustration, it is likely a flock of 5000 layers will drink more than 350,000 litres from point of lay to depletion, probably enough for the proverbial Olympic size swimming pool!

Keeping birds short of water can thus be a very severe stress. Can we just leave it to our birds to drink their fill? The answer is clearly no – they need your help! Water intake is influenced by a variety of factors including ambient temperature, feed consumption and quality, the age of your birds, their current level of performance and how water is presented.

The value of water

• Water is essential to good performance for a number of reasons:

• Feed intake and performance is highly influenced by water intake.

• We frequently use the water system for supplying vitamins, vaccines and medications to our birds.

• Water, on the other hand, can be just as efficient in acting as a potent method of spreading bugs such as Salmonella and Campylobacter amongst birds in the flock.

• Finally, and arguably most importantly, high bug counts in water can contribute to disease, dirty eggs, poor litter conditions and poor air quality.

Water quality

• Water should therefore be of the highest quality – but what do we mean by water quality?

• It should be free of taints which may affect water intake.

• It should be free of residues including heavy metals, iron etc which can affect water intake, block drinkers with sediment or have a bad effect on vaccines and medicines administered via the drinking water.

• It should be free of microbial contamination, ie bacteria. This is usually measured by counting the number of bugs in a fresh sample of water. The results are usually described as the Total Viable Count (TVC).

Protecting water quality

How do we go about protecting and improving the quality of drinking water? Firstly, you need to look closely at all aspects of your system:

Source Mains vs bore. Quality, pressure or continuity of supply must all be considered. Shallow bore holes can show an increase in bug counts after heavy rainfall depending on siting and drainage etc. Damaged supply pipes can also allow contamination below ground. Take time to find out more about the supply to your farms.

The header tank Header tanks should be of sufficient capacity and provide the optimal pressure head to cope with demand especially at peak production in hot weather. Monitoring intake can help you determine whether any resistance to freely available water is restricting performance. The header tank should be of optimal design with a smooth interior surface, easily accessible to enable effective cleaning and disinfection at turnaround time. Avoid side draining pipes as this can result in a ‘sump’ effect where residues and dirt can settle and remain at the bottom of the tank. Ensure the tank has a close fitting lid. This has many benefits in excluding dust which can carry bugs in, light which would encourage mould and algal growth and rodents which can carry harmful micro-organisms.

Drinkers Closed systems using nipples can have considerable health benefits, mostly associated with reducing secondary bacterial load in your birds. However, most producers still use bell drinkers which are open to contamination with dust, litter, droppings and various secretions from the birds’ mouths and noses. Bell drinkers should be well maintained. They should be emptied and cleaned regularly, set at the right height and contain the appropriate depth of water to balance ample availability to birds against reducing the chance of spillage.

Check drinkers every time you are in the house for leaks or blockages. Considerable time should be spent when setting up houses to ensure drinkers are in the optimal position. They should not restrict bird movement through the house or the use of nest boxes, or be constantly knocked by birds. Where slats are used, drinkers should be well sited over them, again avoiding restrictions on birds moving up onto the slats or entering nests.

Other sources of drinking water Don’t forget that birds will not necessarily know what’s best for them. Puddles, ruts and other poached areas on range are very attractive to birds and will have the highest bug counts of all. A really tasty bacterial soup! Adequate drainage is a must and fencing off heavily poached areas may be necessary at certain times of the year.

What about disinfection of my water?

Disinfection can be broadly considered in two aspects; terminal or continuous disinfection. At turnaround time, take specialist advice to choose a disinfectant which is going to achieve your goal – to reach all parts of the water system, effectively clean all equipment and remove nasty biofilms (more of that later).

Continuous water disinfection is the use of products in the drinking water during the life of the flock to keep TVCs low in drinking water. A variety of products such as Virkon S and Purogene are available as specific disinfectants along with an array of acidifiers and other products. Take specialist advice from manufacturers and your veterinary surgeon to make sure you are using the most appropriate product.

However, general but significant points to remember are to ensure an excellent physical clean, use the chosen disinfectant at the appropriate dilution rate, observe the required dwell time for the disinfectant to sit in the drinker system but remember to drain and flush the system before your birds are rehoused.

What are biofilms?

Put simply, they are the sludge that can build up in bell drinkers, drinker pipework or the header tank, equivalent to the build up of plaque on your teeth if you don’t brush them regularly. Wipe your finger around a bell drinker and you will feel this sticky film. The biofilm is in fact a complex structure of sticky chemicals excreted by bacteria clinging to surfaces to protect the bugs.

They form a complex honeycomb layer with holes, cracks and crevices in which bacteria can cling onto and thrive, even when water is moving along pipework. This is a haven for a whole host of bacteria including E.coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas and Campylobacter. Therefore, even if clean water is coming in, the presence of biofilms can compromise output quality. To combat this biofilm, use good physical cleaning of the drinkers and choose a disinfectant with proven success against these bugs and capable of breaking down the biofilm throughout the system. Although everyone knows that most water systems are chlorinated, research suggests chlorine is pretty ineffective in penetrating biofilms which may provide protection for bacteria leading to more than a 3,000 fold increase in resistance to chlorine.

How do I test the quality of my water?

Total viable counts (TVC) are rapid tests that can be done by your veterinary surgeon or diagnostic lab to check the bug quality of your drinking water and advise accordingly. In broad terms, drinking water should be of a standard that you could safely drink - why should your birds settle for anything less?

Counts can achieve a number of goals:

• Assessment of quality of cleaning and disinfection of the water system at turnaround.

• Assessment of ongoing success of keeping drinkers clean and free of heavy bug loads.

• A check on any chosen products or techniques for continuous disinfection.

Contact your veterinary surgeon for advice on sampling and sup