Equipment is an essential part of broiler farming and can be categorized in 2 parts.
- Essential equipment
- Useful equipment (which can increase farming efficiency)
Essential equipment is a feeder, drinker, water tank, buckets, mugs, weighing scale, brooder guard, brooder canopy, brooder (gas/electric/bukhari), poultry fans, digital thermometer, ropes, curtains, and sprinkler.
Useful equipment are flame gun, thermal fogger, moisture meter, infrared thermometer, chick trays, fogger/sprinklers, pH and TDS meter, ORP meter
Providing clean, cool water with an 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 watering systems are commonly used. Bell or Cup Drinkers (Open Systems) While there is a cost advantage of installing an open drinker system, problems associated with litter quality, condemnations and water hygiene are more prevalent. Water purity with open systems is difficult to maintain as birds will introduce particulate waste (litter, feed, etc.) into the reservoirs resulting in the need for daily cleaning. This is not only labor intensive but also wastes water.
Installation recommendations
• Bell drinkers should provide at least 0.6 cm (0.24”) per bird of drinking space.
• All bell drinkers should have a ballast to reduce spillage. Management recommendations
• Bell and cup drinkers should be suspended to ensure that the level of the lip of the drinker is equal to the height of the bird’s back when standing normally.
• Height should be adjusted as the birds grow in order to minimize contamination.
• Water should be 0.5 cm (0.20”) from the lip of the drinker at day old and gradually decreased to a depth of 1.25 cm (0.50”) after seven days of age, about the depth of a thumbnail. Nipple Systems (Closed systems) There are two types of nipple drinkers commonly used:
• High flow nipple drinkers operate at 80-90 ml/min (2.7 to 3 fl. oz/min). They provide a bead of water at the end of the nipple and have drip trays to catch any excess water that may leak from the nipple. Generally 12 birds per nipple with high flow rate systems are recommended.
• Low flow rate nipple drinkers operate at a flow rate of 50-60 ml/min (1.7 to 2 fl. oz/min). They typically do not have drip trays, and pressure is adjusted to maintain water flow to meet the broiler’s requirements. Generally 10 birds per nipple with low flow rate systems are recommended. Installation recommendations
• Nipple systems need to be pressurized either by installing a header tank or pump system. • Header tank pressure should be minimum 2 bar (30 psi).
• Pump supplier – 2.8 bar (40 psi) supplied to the control room. Pump systems will need an inline pressure reduction valve to ensure constant pressure of 2 bar is supplied to the nipple system.
• Birds should not have to travel more than 3 m (10 ft) to find water. Nipples should be placed at a maximum of 35 cm (14”) centers. Management recommendations
• Nipple drinkers must be adjusted to suit chick height and water pressure. • For systems with stand pipes, pressure adjustments should be made in 5 cm (2”) increments – as per manufacturer’s recommendations. Systems with drip trays should be managed that birds never drink from the drip trays. If water is present in drip trays the pressure is too high in the system.
• For optimal broiler performance, it is recommended to use a closed drinker system. Water contamination in a closed nipple drinker system is not as likely as with open drinker systems. Wasting water is also less of a problem. In addition, closed systems offer the advantage of not requiring the daily cleaning necessary with open drinking systems. However, it is essential to regularly monitor and test flow rates as more than a visual assessment is required to determine whether all nipples are operational. When floors have a slope, a slope regulator should be installed every 10 cm (4”) of fall to ensure even water flows down the length of the house.
• Higher water pressure does not mean higher consumption.
• Too low water pressure can reduce consumption by as much as 20%. • If the pressure is too low the bird needs more time to obtain its required volume, but birds will always spend the same amount of time drinking whether the volume is high or low (under 1 minute).
