Study: The importance of water quality in poultry health

An experimental study published in the OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences has suggested that water quality directly impacts poultry health and performance. The research highlighted the importance of maintaining proper husbandry conditions in order to meet the guidelines set by several health organizations.

• Two lots of broiler chickens at 10 chicks each were separated and assigned to either the treatment or control group.
• Both flocks were maintained in the same poultry barn in the Hamma Bouziane district in Algeria and were given standard food in similar conditions.
• The first group was provided with untreated well water, while the other was given water treated with sodium hypochlorite (bleach).
• Researchers carried out physicochemical and bacteriological analyses of the water every 15 days.
• The growth of each chick from both flocks was measured in seven-day intervals.
• Results showed that the untreated water contained various contaminants and did not meet the health standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Chicks that drank the untreated water were smaller and had less weight from days seven to 42.

The findings reveal that the quality of drinking water is correlated with the overall health of broiler chickens, in particular, disease transmission and overall health status.

Read the full report at this link.

Interested in raising chickens in your homestead? You can read helpful husbandry guides at Homesteading.news.

Journal Reference:

Boumedous C, Djerrou Z, Pacha YH. IMPACT OF DRINKING WATER TREATMENT ON POULTRY HEALTH AND PERFORMANCES: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences. 4 February 2017;17(1):1–6. DOI: 10.3844/ojbsci.2017.1.6