VIDEO: Ensuring clean water throughout the layer house

The most effective way to make sure water is clean through out the entire house is to use a water drinking sanitizer that complements the water.

Susan Watkins, retired poultry science professor from the University of Arkansas. (Courtesy Phil Watkins)
Susan Watkins, retired poultry science professor from the University of Arkansas. (Courtesy Phil Watkins)

In a WATT Poultry Chat video interview, Susan Watkins, retired poultry science professor at the University of Arkansas, spoke with Egg Industry Insight Managing Editor Deven King about ensuring that birds are provided with clean drinking water throughout the entire layer house. This is an important step in maintaining health and each operation needs to make specific considerations regarding its water. 

KING: Susan, how important is it to ensure clean drinking water throughout the entire house of a poultry barn?

WATKINS: Well, Deven, water is the number one solvent for all of life. So, if we have any place in the system that isn't protected with a sanitizer, hasn't been cleaned properly, then we potentially leave behind a biofilm that could be harboring pathogens. We even know that avian influenza has been found in water systems. So that alone is a very, very good reason to make sure that the entire water system is clean and sanitized.

KING: What is the best way to do this?

WATKINS: Well, the best way to do it is first assess the water system determine how dirty is it? Do we need to really do a thorough cleaning between flocks. And if we don't have that luxury of cleaning the system because we've got a flock in house and they're going to be in there for a long time. Then we're going to take a water sample and assess what's in the water, what's the pH, what are the minerals that are dissolved in it, and then we're going to pick a water sanitation product that complements the water. If we have a low pH or if we want to try to have a lower pH below seven, we're going to choose products that are chlorine based because that works well at lower pH is if we have a higher pH around eight, then we may think about using chlorine dioxide. If we have young flocks that are starting up and maybe they're not using a lot of water, we might try to use a stabilized hydrogen peroxide during those low flow periods so that as the water sits dormant in the system, that stabilized hydrogen peroxide can provide us with some sanitation protection. So by understanding our water, and then choosing products that complement it, and then setting up a good monitoring program to make sure that water stays protected, we can improve our odds that the water system will not be a source of challenges for our flocks.

This script was edited for length and clarity. 

 

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