Chickens' drinking habits uncovered
measures how much water chickens receive through automatic watering
systems has been previewed at the International Poultry Exposition
in Atlanta, Georgia this week.
A device developed by the US Agricultural Research Service that measures how much water chickens receive through automatic watering systems has been previewed at the International Poultry Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia this week.
The device, called a "nipple waterflow rate stick," was unveiled by VAL Products of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, having been co-developed last year by VAL Products and the Mississippi State University. The new device could provide chicken growers with a solution to a long-standing problem.
When giving chickens water, growers use pipe delivery systems - or drinkers - that dispense the liquid through "nipples" that the chickens can draw from. But up to a year ago, growers were unable to know for sure just how much water their chickens were getting - vital information that could be used to gauge the birds nutritional health.
A recent study by Simmons showed that low waterflow rates can reduce chickens' weight gain by as much as 20 per cent. The unique device calculates the flow rate of drinkers quickly and easily, so growers don't have to kneel in litter to take cumbersome measurements.
The nipple waterflow rate stick can determine how much water the chickens are receiving, along with the rate at which the water is distributed and what materials are being carried in the water.
Roughly 25,000 chickens are housed in the average poultry house, which has four 400-foot-long pipes with nipples attached. In just one minute, a chicken grower using the nipple waterflow rate stick can be alerted to low waterflow that could cause reduced feeding.
The device will sell under the name of the VAL Lott stick. It is named after Berry Lott, who worked with ARS agricultural engineer Jack Simmons and ARS chemical engineer Dana Miles to develop the nipple waterflow rate stick.
