With so much said about feed conversion and poultry farming profits, it could almost be forgiven that we downplay the crucial role of water intake.
Yes, whilst feed conversion is the bedrock of poultry meat or egg production – it must be remembered that there are contributors.
And for turning grains into broiler meat or layer eggs, water is the most influential contributor to the process.
Water is a powerful regulator of appetite and a crucial chemical substrate for metabolism. An essential ingredient for the thriving of all flocks.
Simple as this may sound, the practical delivery of water can present challenges that affect uptake by birds.
And if such kinks or creases are not ironed out of the rearing process, adverse outcomes in feed conversion can be witnessed.
And unless a robust approach to root cause analysis is taken, this failure in achieving genetic potential can be wrongly attributed to other factors…perhaps, feed formulation or even feed quantity.
However, the key to successful water delivery is an effective drinker system.
In poultry farming, 2 predominant drinker systems exist:
- Bell drinkers
- Nipple drinkers
Both systems have their given pros and cons – but equally, either can be deployed successfully where the prerequisite conditions for optimal use are met.
Each format of water delivery system has its own related best practices. If they are followed, this should yield optimal results and support feed conversion – for reaching the peak genetic potential.
Each drinker system requires maintenance and adjustments that mirror physiological changes in the flock.
This means you and your stockmen must be sensitive to flock changes and reactive to meet their needs.
Staying ahead of the change curve and upholding optimal water delivery, helps to keep your farm in peak performance.
In fact, aside from feed consumption, monitoring water consumption will also help you benchmark against the standard.
Water levels are a giveaway. Regular readings will show you if your flock is on target for feed conversion, or not.
Also, flock observation will indicate how easily birds are able to drink water.
Bottom line – water is a very necessary and key determinant of the feed conversion equation (although we might not think it).
How’s your flock water consumption going? And how does it line up with your flock’s feed conversion ration?
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