Water is an essential ingredient for growth of the animals as it forms not less than 70% of the body’s composition for most of the animals including humans. It is therefore a critical aspect that farmers need to look into. It can cause untold damages and losses to the farmer through diseases, poor performance within the livestock that the farmer looks after. Before one starts a livestock project it is imperative to check that there is adequate water for the animals as lack of this will result in abandoned projects. Once the animals are on the ground, the water requirements will escalate as they will need to be watered, and sheds cleaned out. The amount of water increases during the hot season, and this is the level we need to ensure we can supply as necessary.
Our sources of water on farms range from dams, rivers, deep wells, boreholes, municipality treated water etc. There is no guarantee that water that has been extracted from the borehole is safe for drinking. Water quality tests must be done for this to determine what needs to be done to enable the water to be safe for drinking. The tests are designed to find out the levels of bacteria, type of these, the dissolved solids as well as heavy metals within the water. All these aspects are important as they affect our animals and how much water they are able to drink. Poor quality water, especially with heavy metals will not be easy for the animals to drink and they will also reduce the amount of feed that they eat leading to poor performance. The immunity of all animals functions best when the animal is well fed and watered. Anything that causes deviations from a well fed and watered animal leads to increased susceptibility to diseases and the animals easily get affected.
Provision of water for the animals is done via open or closed systems. The open systems, in the case of poultry, are the founts, drinkers, bell drinkers as the water is exposed to the elements before the bird can drink it. Closed systems include use of nipple lines where the bird accesses the water at the point of drinking only. In this case the pipes and tanks where the water is stored must be flushed regularly to remove the biofilm which forms inside the pipes and carries with it numerous bacteria and can also result in disease proliferation. Nipples are the best system for pigs as they also form a closed system versus one where an open trough is used. For cattle open troughs are usually used. Tanks must be used to store the water for the livestock, then it becomes easier to treat the water while in storage as the chemicals require the recommended dwell time for them to be effective.
Where cattle are watered by dams, rivers, streams, etc. special care must be taken to ensure they are protected from worms that include liver fluke, roundworms among others. Regular checks on the worm burdens will help the farmer create a tailormade deworming program suitable for their premises.
In all these cases, regular water changes, cleaning of the equipment must be prioritised as it is a simple way to help reduce rates of infection for the animals. Use of detergents and disinfectants must be done to ensure thorough cleaning is done. Water must be tested at least twice a year and appropriate corrective action taken to ensure provision of clean drinking water.
In this hot season, compounded by climate change, we need to take special care of the water we are giving our animals and ensure we are not the ones adding to the challenges they have by giving poor quality water. It is not only about the quantity but more importantly the quality of water that we should be concerned about and provide potable water, which is recommended for us all.
Remember that whatever we give the animals will affect their performance one way or another, I hope we can ensure the animals have adequate good quality water.
Contact a Capital Foods customer support person on +263 772 133 272/4 or [email protected]