Tom Tabler discusses poultry litter and water quality
Published:March 13, 2017
Tom Tabler, Extension Professor at Mississippi State University, shared advice on management practices, composting, lighting and water quality, during IPPE 2017 in Atlanta, USA.
Chlorine bleach is probably the most common poultry water sanitizer used in the U.S. It is reasonably inexpensive and easily obtained and handled. However, the presence of a biofilm or organic matter will challenge its effectiveness. NaDCC is a good alternative to bleach. NaDCC tablets are popular with hikers and backpackers and outdoor adventurers as well as in emergency water treatment situations....less so with poultry growers here because bleach is less expensive. If a biofilm in the water lines is a concern, many growers use a stabilized, concentrated hydrogen peroxide product. You will likely need a strong oxidizer to cut the biofilm loose. Chlorine alone will not be strong enough. Some growers have run iodine in the past. Inorganic iodine is a more effective disinfectant than organic iodine. However, iodine requires a higher dosing level to achieve the same effect as chlorine. Many growers in the U.S. today use gas chlorination systems. Gas chlorination is more expensive (and more dangerous) than chlorine bleach but it does a very good job.
Chlorine dioxide works well against biofilms. However, most poultry growers are more familiar with H2O2 and understand it better. Also, H2O2 is less dangerous and more readily available where most growers buy their sanitation/disinfection products. However, chlorine dioxide does a very good job....you just have to be more careful with it and it is harder to find at the local poultry supply or other local store where most growers buy their materials.
A 3% solution of H2O2 products between flocks usually works well to help remove biofilm. With birds in the house, this is what I usually do.....add 8 ounces of H2O2 product to 5 gallons of water to make a stock solution; drop the medicator hose into this stock solution; medicate this solution into the water system at the dosing rate of 1 ounce per gallon or 1:128. I would do this for the first 2-3 weeks of the flock and maybe for 1 week after any other products (vitamins, electrolytes, etc.) are run to remove any possible leftover bacterial food source residue inside the water lines. Hope this helps.
I usually do have the water tested for pH. I like to see somewhere around 6.2-6.8 for the pH of drinking water for chickens but I have seen anywhere from 3.5-9 at one time or another depending on the location, aquifer, etc. I think 6.5-7.8 is considered average for poultry drinking water. I usually don't test for hardness per se for I get calcium and magnesium in the mineral package I ask for and I add the 2 together to get an idea of hardness. I think the maximum acceptable level for hardness for poultry drinking water is around 110 mg/liter. I send a lot of water samples to the University of Arkansas water quality lab. They have a pretty decent mineral package they will run for a reasonable price and the turnaround time is pretty good.
Regarding water quality testing. Do you test water pH and/or hardness, and can you give us a picture of the normal ranges you see in the samples you collect?
Changing litter depends on the situation. In Mississippi, poultry growers go for years and never change the litter unless there is a disease problem or other issue that may require changing it. Growers remove a certain amount of litter when it gets too deep in the house and then even back out what remains and keep growing birds. Some growers have gone 8-10 years and never totally cleaned out to the floor and replaced litter with new bedding. In Arkansas, where I grew up, many growers clean out to the floor once each year and replace the old litter with new bedding material (pine shavings, rice hulls, etc.). So again, it depends on the situation and what the company that owns the birds is asking of their contract growers.
For removing Biofilm from water pipelines, has anybody tried enzyme based detergent that can very effectively dissolve the Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS) or the protective matrix of biofilms, further sanitization actually removes the complete biofilm and renders the water safe for birds?
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