Zhengyuan Nipple watering systems for broilers have become very popular in recent years. This is mainly because these systems save labor by eliminating the chore of cleaning waterers. Although labor is greatly reduced with nipple watering systems, this does not mean that they require less management. In fact, nipple waterers demand more time, knowledge and effort to operate properly than do open systems.
Problems caused by insufficient or improper management of nipple watering systems can have a serious impact on broiler performance.

  Water Consumption Water is the most important nutrient consumed by an animal.  A bird can survive several weeks without food, but only a few days without water. The purpose of any broiler watering system is to provide sufficient water for optimum bird growth and efficiency. Broilers drink a great deal of water.  During its lifetime, a 5-pound broiler will consume about 18 pounds (2.2 gallons) of water, compared to just 10 pounds of feed.  Recent studies show that daily water consumption of a broiler can be approximated by multiplying the age of the bird in days by .18 ounces of water.  For example, a 10-day-old bird will drink about 1.8 ounces of water during a 24-hour period.

  It is important to know the volume of water a broiler will consume on a given day. Drinking water is often used to provide medications, vaccines, vitamins and electrolytes to broilers.   To ensure that each bird receives the proper dose of such substances, it is essential to be able to predict consumption.   In addition, monitoring daily water consumption of a broiler flock and comparing it to that of past flocks can alert a producer to potential disease and management problems, so the producer can start treatment or corrective action before the problem becomes more severe.

  Management Most nipple systems rely on pressure regulators to control the amount of water birds receive when the nipple mechanisms are activated.   With such systems, water pressure must be adjusted weekly to levels recommended by the manufacturer.   Keep water pressure low when chicks are young so that water will flow easily from the nipple when it gets activated by the lightest touch.  As birds get larger and stronger, gradually increase pressure so that more water is released when the nipple is activated.  Improper pressure may prevent birds from getting adequate water or may cause wet litter under the drinkers.

   Nipple height should be adjusted as often as needed.  As a general rule, this means that height adjustments must be made at least every other day for the first two weeks of the flock and daily from that time on.  The bottom of the triggering pin should be at the eye level of day-old chicks.  Nipples should be raised gradually so that birds must reach up and stretch slightly to activate the nipples from five days onward.that the nipples should be above the floor through a typical growout.  The breed of broiler that your company uses may require some adjustment of these general values. The importance of constant and careful management of nipples cannot be overemphasized.

   There have been numerous cases in which growers have obtained excellent performances from nipple drinkers for several growouts and then suddenly have experienced high mortality, wet litter and poor bird performance.  In many cases this has happened because the grower began to pay less attention to the management of the nipple system than when it was first installed. Labor may be decreased with nipple drinkers, but the need for good management is greatly increased.

   The drinker system should not be disinfected while birds are still in the house.  If for some reason you have a chronic bacteria problem in your water source and continuous disinfection is necessary, use extreme caution.  It’s a good idea to get professional help in setting up a continuous disinfection or filtering system.