Factors Affecting Water Consumption in Poultry

Factors Affecting Water Consumption in Poultry: Feed, Age, Temperature & Water Quality

Water is an essential nutrient for poultry and plays a critical role in maintaining hydration, thermoregulation, digestion, metabolism, growth, and production. Water consumption varies according to several factors, including feed intake, age, environmental and water temperature, electrolyte supplementation, lighting programs, water output, and water quality.

Understanding these factors is important for maintaining optimal flock performance, particularly under heat stress and intensive production conditions. This article discusses the major factors that influence water consumption in poultry.

Feed Consumption

• Water consumption is highly correlated with the amount of feed consumed by a bird.
• Normally, birds consume twice as much water as feed.

Age

• As age advances, water consumption also increases, although consumption per unit of body weight decreases with age.
• For growing pullets, water intake decreases from 0.45 g/g body weight at 1 wk of age to 0.13 at 16 wk of age.

Environmental Temperature

• An important method of regulating body temperature during summer is evaporative cooling.
• As birds pant for evaporative cooling, water is lost and needs to be replaced to maintain body water balance.
• Water consumption in broilers increases by approximately 7 percent for each 1°F increase in temperature.

Water Temperature

• Any water temperature below the body temperature of the bird will be beneficial during heat stress conditions.
• The water consumed will help dissipate body heat.
• In commercial operations, however, air speed is the most effective way to keep birds cool.
• Water is difficult to cool significantly and economically.

Electrolytes

During heat stress, the addition of electrolytes not only replenishes depleted electrolytes but also stimulates water consumption, thereby having a synergistic effect in reducing mortality.

Lighting Programs

• When operating lighting programs in a flock, two distinct water consumption peaks can be observed.
• The first peak occurs just after the lights come on (dawn), and the second occurs just before the lights turn off (dusk).
• Water consumption actually starts to drop about an hour before the lights turn off.
• This indicates that the birds are anticipating the upcoming dark period and that activity in the house has already begun to decline.

Water Output

• Birds lose water mainly through feces, urine, and respired air.
• Except for the ostrich, birds do not urinate separately because the urine is mixed with the feces in the distal large intestine.
• The quantity of water excreted in the feces and urine depends on water intake.
• The water content of broiler excreta is about 60–70%, while that produced by laying hens is up to 80%. The majority of water is lost through feces rather than urine.
• Birds have no sweat glands, and consequently, evaporation of water through the skin, as in mammals, is limited. Hence, evaporative cooling of a bird’s body during summer occurs mainly through the respiratory tract.
• Heat lost through evaporation represents only about 12% of total heat loss in broiler chickens housed at 10⁰C, but this increases dramatically at 26–35⁰C, where it may contribute as much as 50% of total heat loss from the body.

Water Quality

• Other than glass-distilled water, there is no such thing as pure water. All other water contains foreign substances in solution or suspension, which may affect its palatability, functionality, or the well-being of the birds.
• Water composition varies with geographical region as the nature of the underlying geological makeup changes.
• Water contamination can occur if surface water drains into a well.
• Standards of water quality include elements associated with the taste and appearance of water, as well as health effects and demonstrated toxicity in birds consuming it.
• Poor-quality water affects the production performance of birds by contributing to infectious and non-infectious diseases.
• The effectiveness of vaccines and medications administered through water lines could be reduced when water quality is poor.
• Water contaminants could create equipment problems that would either restrict the amount of water available for consumption or affect evaporative cooling and fogging systems. Reduced water consumption or cooling capacity would have detrimental effects on both growth and reproduction.
• Poor water quality could also cause leaky water nipples inside the house, which will wet the litter and lead to increased ammonia production.
• Poor litter quality and high levels of ammonia can cause reduced performance and livability.
• Standards for water quality should include factors that affect taste, solid buildup within water systems, and toxicity.