How much does a flock drink?

The simple rule: birds drink about 1.6 to 2 times the weight of the feed they eat, and up to 3 times in the hot hours. A day-old chick drinks a few tens of millilitres; a five-week-old broiler drinks 250 to 350 ml a day depending on the heat. For 1,000 broilers at the end of the flock, allow therefore 250 to 350 litres of water a day, and more in March–April.

This figure is used to size the reserve: a tank or water tower must cover at least two days of consumption, to hold out during a pump failure or a power cut. A farm without a water reserve is a farm that relies on luck.

Where does the water come from?

Borehole: the best solution when it is done well. The water is generally clean, but it can be high in iron or salts: have it analysed once (taste, colour, deposits in the drinkers).
Well: common and practical, but exposed to seepage in the rainy season. Cover it, keep it away from latrines and pits, and treat the water if needed (we will see how in level 5).
Mains supply (SODECI): reliable water, but cuts are possible and the cost needs watching. The two-day reserve is essential.
River, stream, rainwater: to be avoided for the birds without treatment. Water that looks clear can carry germs.

In every case, the water reaches the drinkers by gravity from the raised reserve, or by a pump. A buried or shaded pipe keeps the water cooler than a black pipe exposed to the sun, where the water becomes scalding by midday.

Cool, clean water, always available

Birds refuse water that is too hot. Above 30 °C, consumption drops; the ideal is between 18 and 25 °C. In the hot hours, you renew the water in the drinkers with water from the reserve, in the shade, and empty out what has been left in the sun. A water tower painted white or covered heats up less.

Drinkers are washed every day: a drinker that is green or slimy inside is a broth of germs. Their height is set at the level of the birds’ backs, so that they drink without wetting the litter. A leaking drinker creates a damp patch, then a patch of coccidiosis.

How many drinkers? During brooding, about one 4 to 5 litre fount drinker for 80 to 100 chicks. Then a hanging (bell) drinker for 80 to 100 chickens, or nipple drinkers: one for 10 to 12 birds. Too few drinkers means birds that wait, that jostle, and weak birds that never drink their fill.

Water as a monitoring tool

A good technician records every day the quantity of water consumed (from the meter, or by counting the drinkers filled). Consumption must rise steadily with age. When it falls from one day to the next without a change in heat, it is often the first sign of a disease, even before mortality. When it rises suddenly, look for a leak, abnormal heat or feed that is too salty.

That is why the daily record sheet (level 2) has a “water” column. The figure costs a minute and can save a flock.

For the entrepreneur

›Before the chicks: a reliable source, a two-day reserve, a shaded pipe. It is an investment, not an expense.
›Ask for the water reading every week: consumption that is not rising is a warning.
›Have the borehole or well water analysed once, especially if the drinkers get rust stains.

For the technician

›Wash all the drinkers every morning, set their height at the birds’ backs, hunt down leaks.
›In the hot hours, replace the warmed water with cool water from the reserve.
›Record the water consumption on the record sheet every day, and report any drop.

The 3 questions to ask your technician this week

How many litres of water did the flock drink yesterday, and is that more than the day before?
How many days can our reserve last if the pump breaks down?
At what time is the water in the drinkers renewed during the hot season?

Key points

•A bird drinks 1.6 to 2 times what it eats, up to 3 times in the heat.
•1,000 broilers at the end of the flock: 250 to 350 litres a day.
•A reserve of at least two days, shaded pipes, water between 18 and 25 °C.
•Drinkers washed every day, set at the birds’ backs, with no leaks.
•Falling water consumption is often the first sign of disease.

Water: the first raw material of poultry farming