Drinking systems provide clean and cool water with adequate flow rate is fundamental to good poultry production. Without adequate water intake, feed consumption will decline and bird performance will be compromised. Both closed and open water systems are commonly used and include:
- water meters
- water storage tanks
- Feeding systems
| AGE |
TYPE |
RECOMMENDED WATER SPACE |
| Day 1 to day 21 |
Chick drinkers |
80 chicks per drinker |
| Day 21 to slaughter |
Adult manual drinkers |
50 birds per drinker |
| Day 21 to slaughter |
Automatic drinkers |
80-100 per drinker |
| Day 21 to slaughter |
Nipple drinkers |
8-10 birds per nipple |
|
Heating systems used are:
Commonly used feeders are:
| AGE |
FEEDER TYPE |
RECOMMENDED FEEDER SPACE |
| Day 1 to day 10 |
Chick tray |
50 chicks per tray |
| Day 10 to day 21 |
Chick feeder |
50 chicks per feeder |
| Day 21 to end of production/slaughter |
Tube feeder |
30-50 birds per feeder |
| Day 21 to end of production/slaughter |
Trough feeder |
5cm per bird (minimum) |
Regardless of which type of feeding system is used, the most important points to consider in the selection of feeders are:
- Feeding space
- Accessibility
- Feed wastage (spillage and contamination)
|
back to articles
