Meaning of Poultry Drinkers
Poultry drinkers are tools or equipment used for holding, storing, and providing water for poultry birds. They are made of metal, plastics, or ceramics. This equipment could be hung, placed on the floor, or specially designed to automatically provide water for birds.
Irrespective of the types of drinkers used in providing water for the birds, the aim is to provide clean and sufficient water at all times. Birds need a sufficient quantity of water for the normal well-being of the body.
Poultry birds require an adequate amount of water to control body temperature, aid digestion, excretion of waste products, and help dissolve solvents. As food always remains in the poultry house, it is also necessary to provide sufficient water along with the food.
Climatic elements such as rainfall and temperature have various degrees of effect on the birds. High temperature leads to an increase in the amount of water consumed by birds while low temperature reduces the quantity of water consumed by birds.
Therefore it is vital to provide sufficient water to birds however insufficient water may lead to dehydration and whenever birds are dehydrated it may lead to reduced egg laying or death of chicks.
The water provided to the birds should be clean and free from dirt. Contaminated and polluted water may lead to the outbreak of pathogens. When chopping for a drinker, it is advisable to chop for a good drinker, as this will help to facilitate easy cleaning, prevent the spread of pathogens, and save space.
There are many types of drinkers in the market that can provide sufficient quality for users, therefore, It is paramount to choose the right container/drinker. Choosing or purchasing a poor drinker or waterer can lead to insufficient water, unnecessary liability for the birds, and difficulty in cleaning and refilling the poultry drinkers.
Factors to Be Considered When Choosing the Right Poultry Drinkers
When choosing the right Poultry Drinkers, the following criteria should be considered.
- Durability: This is a crucial criterion before determining the nature of the drinkers before placing a demand. Durability is a vital factor to look out for when buying or chopping for the best Poultry drinkers. When it comes to durability, galvanized steel, plastic, and ceramics should be considered. These drinkers are long-lasting and are resistant to rusting and corrosion, however, the ceramics and plastic drinkers can easily break or become brittle when exposed to sunlight or when not handled with care.
- Budget-Friendly: The drinkers considered should be cheap and affordable. They should be affordable to the farmer. The plastic and ceramics drinkers are cheaper and more affordable compared to the stainless. In developing countries, plastic drinkers are popular since it is budget-friendly.
- Available for all Birds: the drinker or waterer selected should be such that all birds can have an equal opportunity to source water from it without any difficulty. It should be Uniform for all birds to have equal access to water.
- Easy to Clean: This is another crucial factor to be considered when shopping for the right drinkers. The drinker should be extremely easy to clean. Drinkers that possess difficult cleaning abilities should be avoided because this will lead to the outbreak of parasites and disease in the pen. The galvanized steel, plastic, and ceramics should be considered as they are very easy to clean.
- Dropping pattern: The water-dropping pattern of drinkers should be considered when shopping or purchasing a drinker. The tool selected should be such that, it should dispense the water gradually for the birds. It is advisable to always have water available for the birds. Drinkers that will lead to over-dropping of water and eventually wastage should be avoided. The drinkers selected should be such that can minimize water wastage.
- Safety to the birds: Drinkers selected should be safe for the birds. The drinkers that can easily cause injuries or stress to the birds should be avoided. Rough surface drinkers should not be selected as they can pose serious challenges to the birds.
- Withstand pecking: the drinker selected should be strong enough to withstand the pecking habits of poultry birds. Birds have a habit of pecking containers and materials used in providing water for them. The drinker selected should be sturdy and high quality to withstand birds pecking. The galvanized drinker is the best option that can withstand pecking, while sturdy plastic and ceramics are considered best for providing water for birds.
Importance of Poultry Drinker
The importance of drinkers or waterers cannot be overestimated in the poultry industry. The following are some of the reasons for using poultry drinkers :
Prevent Contamination
The poultry house is usually not a hygienic place because birds excrete on the floor, this faece serves as a breeding ground for parasites and diseases. Due to this, the water for birds needs to be protected from Contamination and the drinkers are the best option to protect water from parasite and disease infestation.
The drinkers protect the water against birds stepping on it, mostly birds raised under the deep litter system. This prevents poultry faece, mud, and dirt from contaminating the water. Preventing birds from contaminating the water with the use of the drinkers makes the water suitable for the birds.
Help to Meet Bird Water Requirement
The drinkers are available in various storage capacities that can be used to satisfy the water requirements of various categories of birds. The drinkers in the market vary from 1.5 liters to 40 liters depending on the types of birds, management’s practices, and the number of birds on the farm.
The types of drinkers for battery cage birds differ from those of the broiler. Also, the types of drinkers for chicks vary from those of table-size birds. Also, the number of birds on the farm determines the types of drinkers to be selected.
Provide Avenue for Storing Water For Birds.
Poultry drinkers provide avenues for storing water for birds. Chickens can destroy containers with weak surfaces by pecking.
Using strong and sturdy watering containers will help to make water available for birds. Additionally, water cannot be kept on the basin or bow for the birds. There must be convenient ways through which birds can have access to water, and the drinkers provide the opportunity.
Minimized Wastage of Water
Modern poultry drinkers are designed or constructed in such a way that containers dispense the water in gradually. Some are automatic while others are manual which dispense water gradually or only when the birds initiate an action.
Various types of drinking cans available in the poultry house are usually designed to minimize water wastage. The use of small bows and buckets by small poultry farmers leads to the wastage of water and contamination of the poultry house.
Dry and cool pens help to prevent the growth of pathogens such as mold and bacteria. Therefore, using containers that dispense water gradually helps to maintain poultry hygiene and birds ‘health respectively.
Reduce Poultry Maintenance Drudgery
If water is left on the bow and bucket, birds can easily step on the bow and spill the water on the floor which will increase maintenance stress.
The use of good drinking containers helps to prevent water from spilling which helps reduce the stress of frequent cleaning of the poultry house.
Reduce the Cost of Production
The use of poorly water containers such as open troughs, bows, and buckets cannot restrict the birds from gaining access to the source of water.
This will make the bird step and defecate on the drinkers. This dirty water container will lead to the buildup of pathogens which may eventually lead to the outbreak of disease.
This will make farmers buy drugs and consult veterinary doctors which may lead to an increase in the cost of production.
Types of Poultry Drinkers
Different types of poultry drinkers are available in the poultry industry. Their uses depend on the management system, the number of birds available on the farm, and the categories of birds under production. Some of the notable types of drinkers in the poultry industries are:
Open Bucket, Container, or Trough
These poultry drinkers are usually known as traditional drinkers but have been modified to suit contemporary usage. They are made of plastic and galvanic metal. Most of them are used by small farmholders to provide water for birds. These containers have an open top which allows the birds to drink directly from the containers. These containers could be
- Plastic Open Containers
- Bucket Open Containers
- Galvanize Open Drinkers
- Automatic Cup Drinkers.
- Plastic Container Drinkers: these types of drinkers are made of plastic with an open top. They do not use have lid, water is poured directly into the container for birds to drink. The containers are manually filled and given to the bird to drink. These types of drinkers are used mostly in deep litter or free management systems.
- Bucket Containers Drinkers: These could be plastics or metal. They are used for providing water for birds. They are rarely used in the poultry industry due to the difficulty faced by the birds while sourcing water from the bucket. It is also suitable for deep litter systems of poultry production.
- Galvanized Open Drinkers: These types of containers could be galvanized lying buckets or galvanized open troughs. They are constructed for the birds to drink directly from it. The galvanized open trough is used in the battery cage management system while the galvanized bucket is used in the deep litter system.
- Automatic cup drinkers: The automatic drinkers are designed to provide water to poultry birds automatically. The cup is attached to a bucket or tub with a good quantity of water and dispensed gradually for the birds.
Advantages of the Open Containers or Trough
Some of the advantages of these types of drinkers are;
- They are easily accessible by the birds.
- The drinkers are cheap to purchase.
- They are cheap to maintain.
Disadvantage of the Open Containers or Trough
Some of the disadvantages of these types of drinkers are;
- The water source can easily be contaminated.
- The water is easily affected by germs.
- The water can easily be spilled if birds step into them, which can lead to the contamination of the poultry house.
Standard Drinker, Self-contained Water Dispensers
These types of poultry drinkers are made of plastics, galvanized metal, or ceramics. They are usually constructed according to the nature of production management under practice.
They are designed with shallow round lids that are turned upside down for the birds to drink directly. Some of these containers are hung while others are kept on the floor. They are the most widely used types of drinkers in the poultry industry. These types of containers include.
- Galvanic Watering Trough: These types of drinkers could be stainless or galvanic metal. They are constructed to suit various management systems. Battery cage systems are usually long and narrow where water is poured directly for the birds or chickens to drink from. Their size depends on the size of the cage. It provides easy access for the birds to drink. For a deep litter system, the galvanized drinker can be hung or kept on the floor for the birds to drink directly from it. They are designed to hold various capacities and volumes of water. They are easy to maintain and are usually very durable.
- Plastic Self-Drinking: these types of drinkers are designed purely with plastic material, they are constructed in such a way that the water is released gradually for birds to drink. Just like the galvanic drinkers, the plastic drinkers can also be hung or kept on the floor. These types of drinkers are mostly used for deep litter systems of poultry management.
Advantages of Standard Drinker or Trough
The advantages of the type of containers are:
- They are easy to clean
- They are the most popular types of drinkers in the poultry industry.
- The standard drinkers are cheap to purchase
- They release water gradually for the bird to drink
- They are very suitable for large quantities of birds
Disadvantages of Standard Drinker.
The disadvantages of this type of container are:
- They can easily be infested with pathogens if poorly managed
- The plastic can easily break if not well handled.
Automatic Drinkers
These drinkers have mechanisms to dispense water to feed the birds while can refill themselves whenever the water is reduced. Others are designed with special mechanisms when pressed will release the water for the birds.
Different types of automatic drinkers exist. Some of these drinkers are connected to the drum on the poultry house while others are connected to the main source of water with the aid of PVC pipe or tube. Types of automatic drinkers are:
- Nipple Poultry drinker
- Bell Poultry drinker
Nipple Drinkers
This involves providing water to the birds through fixed nipple drinkers arranged along a pipe. Nipple drinkers consist of several small taps fixed to a flowing pipe in the form of a nipple. Where it got its name from as a nipple drinker.
The nipple drinker is made of different small water taps attached to the pipe with mechanisms that release water whenever the birds peck at it. The release as the bird pecks on the water dispensing mechanisms, drips directly into the throat of the birds.
For maximum usage, the nipple drinkers should be fixed a little above the head of the birds as this will help reduce water linking or spilling on the litter.
This method provides excellent opportunities for birds to have access to clean water. These systems differ significantly from the normal methods of birds drinking from a bow. They are mostly used in commercial poultry farms
Advantages of the Nipple Drinkers
The advantages of the nipple drinkers are:
- Minimized water wastage,
- Reduce disease infestation because the water is airtight
- Easy to clean
Disadvantages of the Dipple Drinkers
- They are difficult to clean
- It may easily block or clog which may lead to malfunctioning.
- It requires technical knowledge to operate.
- It may starve the bird due to the inability to press the mechanisms.
- alot of time is wasted in training the birds on how to master the pressing mechanisms
Bell Drinker
The bell drinker is made of plastic, an adjustable lever, and other accessories attached to a tube or PVC pipe. The drinking tool is an alternative to the nipple drinker which allows the birds to drink manually from the bell.
This types of drinker allow the birds to drink naturally from the bell without pressing any mechanisms. The bell drinker is mostly used in deep litter management systems. This type of drinker provides clean and hygienic water due to the filter that helps to sieve the water. It is generally recommended that one bell drinker is recommended for about 50 birds.
Advantages of Bell Drinker
The advantages of the bell drinker are:
- They are easy to fix.
- The bell drinker is very durable.
- The water from the bell drinker is clean and hygienic.
- It consists of an adjuster which helps to regulate the water requirements for the birds.
- It does not spill which keeps the floor dry.
Disadvantages of Bell Drinker
The advantages of the Bell drinker are:
- They are expensive to purchase.
- They require technical know-how to operate.
- The pipe may break which will disrupt the flow of water.
- Pipe breakage, leakage, and pipe blow-outs can increase the cost of production.
FAQs
What are the uses of drinkers in poultry?
In the poultry farm, the drinker is used for the following:
- Provides water for poultry birds.
- Store water comfortably till when needed by poultry birds.
- Use to provide medicine and vaccination to the poultry birds.
How many Litres of water are in poultry drinkers?
Poultry drinkers come in various sizes or capacities and occupy different volumes of water. The size of the poultry drinker ranges from 1.5 liters to 30 liters depending on the poultry management system adopted, the number of birds, and the nature of birds available on the farm.
How many chickens per drinker?
For automatic drinkers like the bell drinker, one 1 bell drinker is sufficient to feed 50 birds, therefor 2 bell drinkers will feed 100 chickens per day, while during the hot weather, it can be increased up to 3. For the nipple drinker installed at a distance of 2.5, you need one drinker for 30 birds. For standard hanging or standard drinkers, you have one trough for 50birds. considerations should be given hot weather.
Which drinker is best for broilers?
The bell drinker is considered the best automatic drinker for the broiler, while the manual standard self-dispenser container is considered the best broiler.
In Conclusions
The type of poultry drinkers available on the farm determines the health status of the birds. Open drinkers will lead to the spilling of Water which will constantly wet the surface of the poultry which may eventually lead to the build-up of parasites and disease, while automatic and self-dispensing container water will promote hygiene in the poultry house.
Moreover, for ease of providing water for birds, PVC pipes can be constructed to link every drinker from the main source of water.