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In poultry production, water is considered the most important nutrient by far, yet water quality is often overlooked. Broilers typically consume at least 1.5 pounds more water than they eat in feed, so it’s important to have water that is low in microbial contamination with acceptable mineral levels. Monitoring water quality is particularly important in antibiotic-free (ABF) production systems to keep birds as healthy and profitable as possible. Here, we take a closer look at what our industry experts consider water quality best practices for ABF poultry producers, as part of our series on strategies for producing antibiotic-free poultry.

Testing Water Quality

Samples should be collected regularly to assess water quality, as the status can often change. Our industry experts recommend testing water at least annually to determine if is safe for birds to drink and if there are any issues that need correcting. Water quality should be assessed regardless of the source (i.e., municipal, well, pond), as even city water could have issues that can affect bird performance. Both the microbial contamination (e.g., E. coli) and mineral content (e.g., iron and sodium) of the water sample should be tested.

Microbial Contamination

Water can be a vector for bacteria and other pathogens, leading to significant health issues and production losses. A poultry house water line provides ideal growing conditions for pathogens as the water is often nutrient rich and in a warm environment. The risk of microbial contamination can also increase if flood water enters ponds or wells. Wild geese and ducks could also be a source of pathogens, if the water supply is from surface water (a pond).

Microbial contamination can lead to the formation of biofilm (slime) on the surface. Biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms connected by an extracellular matrix that is attached to a surface (e.g., pipes and storage containers). As well as a health issue, biofilm can also block nipples and reduce water flow.

Mineral Composition

Excessive mineral content, particularly sodium and iron, can be an issue with some water sources. Too much sodium can cause flushing in the birds and iron can form deposits and clog the water lines. Hardness of the water (calcium and magnesium concentration) can also cause scale to build up in the lines and cause issues such as leaking nipples. Water leaking onto the litter can create further problems such as increased ammonia production.

If minerals levels are high, nutritionists may be able to formulate for mineral imbalances. However, this is usually more expensive than treating the water, particularly for large production companies where producing a specialty diet for a single location is not economically feasible. Sand filters could be used to remove some of the iron, however reverse osmosis or a larger filtration system may be needed for removing other minerals.

Cleaning Water Lines

Water lines should be flushed regularly, particularly after using water-based supplements. The lines should also be thoroughly cleaned between flocks to remove biofilm and scale buildup. Typically, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine-based products are used. The selected products should be appropriate for the application and the manufacturer’s directions followed to ensure adequate cleaning and to prevent damage to the water lines. After cleaning, the lines should be flushed well. Water storage tanks should also be cleaned regularly to prevent mold and other pathogens growing in them.

Water Consumption

Water consumption should be monitored carefully as the amount of water consumed directly affects weight gain and feed conversion. If water intake decreases, feed intake also decreases, and productivity declines. A decrease in water consumption may indicate an issue with water quality.

Other Water Usage

Availability of good quality water is also important for non-drinking purposes, such as cool cells used for evaporative cooling. The water lines supplying the cooling cells need to be clear and flow fully to allow the cells to work correctly. Evaporative cooling is addressed further in our next post on best practices for ventilation in ABF poultry houses.

Protect Birds From Pathogens and Biotoxins

To defend against waterborne pathogens, birds need a healthy intestinal environment that can mount an effective immune response and prevent pathogens and their biotoxins entering the circulatory system, causing disease. As well as health issues, pathogens can also cause morphological changes to the intestinal lining, decreasing the surface area available for nutrient absorption. Fortunately, natural alternatives to AGP are available to support a competent immune system, maintain intestinal integrity and promote performance.

Using high-quality water in poultry production systems is essential to keep equipment running smoothly and maintain bird health and performance. Amlan is dedicated to developing next-generation technology to help poultry producers keep birds healthy and maintain productivity for life. Download a helpful, printable guide that summarizes the above best practices here and keep checking our Education Center for other posts on our ABF production best practices series.

As producing poultry meat that can be labelled antibiotic free (ABF) or No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) becomes more common and desirable, poultry producers are looking for ways to mitigate major poultry diseases in a safe, sustainable and profitable way.

At Amlan, we consult with poultry producers around the world. Those who are transitioning to ABF production are concerned about whether their breeder and grow-out operations can remain competitive, profitable and free from performance-robbing intestinal diseases such as necrotic enteritis. To be successful, a whole-production-system approach that factors in housing management, water quality and biosecurity is needed to maintain bird performance while managing profit margins.

Improved health of broilers starts with the breeder and hatchery

Since breeders can transfer intestinal microbes and immunity to their progeny, companies that are transitioning to ABF production are paying close attention to ensuring intestinal health is adequate in breeders and that vaccination programs are effective. Effective management means watching cross-contamination from the breeder program to the broiler program, including ensuring the hatched eggs are clean and not creating cross-contamination issues by fogging and cleaning too much.

Good litter management is another housing practice to not only get chicks off to a good start, but also to reduce disease challenges. Management practices will vary depending on many factors. In general, cleaning out hatcheries once per year is a good practice. Litter amendments can be used to reduce ammonia and bacterial challenges in-between clean-outs. We also find that removal of caked/wet litter along with windrowing or composting litter is beneficial between flocks.

Improve house environment and biosecurity

Proper environmental conditions are the foundations of effective ABF poultry production and can help cut down on disease issues. Environmental stress due to heat, cold, or very dry or very humid air can affect feed intake and intestinal motility, causing reduced digestibility. We recommend that producers ensure optimum temperature, air velocity and relative humidity according to the age, phase of production and size of the birds.

A large-scale poultry producer with which we have discussed ABF practices emphasizes downtime between flocks, whether or not it’s an ABF system. This producer recommends 14 days of rest before putting another flock in. Then, effective flock management helps reduce stress and disease. Reducing the density of the flock gives the birds more room and greater air circulation, which results in less litter moisture — all leading to lowered challenge. Further, good house ventilation is key for ABF programs to maintain litter moisture below 30 percent, and to minimize condensation and caking.

The most efficient production facilities also focus on nutrient uptake management. While controlling intestinal diseases is important, focusing on nutrient absorption is equally important. Inadequate nutrient absorption contributes to the severity of many diseases. Appropriate feed digestibility is key to broilers’ overall health and can help control microbes and resultant diseases.

The best biosecurity practices include bio-exclusion — limiting visitors, vehicles and equipment that visit other poultry farms. Also, implement bio-containment practices, such as isolating the houses and controlling the entry of insects, rodents, and wild birds and other animals to the houses. These are some of the practices that can help prevent the introduction of new infections in flocks. In a future Amlan blog post, we will deliver more details on these practices.

Feed and water management

Nutritionists know that a balanced diet and sufficient water consumption are essential to improve digestibility. For best results, producers tend to use high-quality feed and minimize drastic changes to the feed program (changing from corn to wheat, for example) within a generation of broilers. Some poultry operations recommend feeding larger and coarser particle sizes (800 to 1,000-micron grind size) while avoiding powdery or fine-textured feeds results in better enzyme release in the gut.

We’ve found that it’s also important to formulate the feed on a digestible amino acid basis and reduce crude protein levels to prevent an overload of Clostridium in the lower gut and the incidence of necrotic enteritis. Producers should also consider supplementing feed with exogenous enzymes and, to further strengthen their effect, additives such as phytases and xylanases.

Other producers say that, if allowed, adding animal protein meal to the diet helps lower costs and reduce excess potassium. They also provide a good mineral source and promote a better amino acid balance. If you go that route, poultry by-product meal, feather meal and poultry fat are good feed ingredients.

Finally, good water quality and management is critical. Adding acidified copper sulfate and hydrogen peroxide to the drinking water during challenging times, such as during the necrotic window, is also recommended.

Maintaining gut health and minimizing intestinal disruptions are key

Preventing coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are normally the main concerns during ABF production. Without antibiotics and even ionophores, it’s more of a challenge to keep these diseases under control.

At Amlan, we talk a lot about the important role that the gut flora plays in supporting disease management and enhancing the immune system. In addition to a balanced diet and good housing conditions as described earlier, feed additives and minerals can help maintain a healthy microflora in all gut regions.

Certain formulated feed additives are designed to use different and (ideally) synergistic modes of action to achieve desired responses. These products are typically tested by a team of specialists to determine the optimal formulation, so growers don’t have to experiment. They include prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, organic acids, minerals and other additives that can be used successfully to manage gut health instead of AGPs. Formulated feed additives that combine the right ingredients to replace one or more other additives and help birds grow efficiently are just what today’s broiler producers need.

Varium^® is a patented feed additive used across the word in antibiotic-free poultry production to achieve similar outcomes as AGPs, often replacing one or more additional feed additives being used as alternatives to AGPs. Varium’s performance has been observed in multiple controlled studies and field trials and is helping commercial producers improve production efficiencies by improving feed conversion and weight gain and decreasing mortality.

It takes the right combination of best management practices to achieve a productive and profitable ABF poultry facility. We’re here to help provide you with the knowledge and technology to make a difference in your operation. Download a helpful, printable guide that summarizes the above best practices here, and check Amlan’s Education Center frequently for future posts on best production practices and natural feed additive programs that enhance intestinal health and improve efficiency in ABF poultry production.