Andrew Palmer, AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager, explains why a well-maintained and clean water system is essential for producers

It is worthwhile for producers to ask whether their veterinary medicine is suitable for their herd. But first, they need to check whether their water supply system is really clean and working efficiently.

If not, improving the quality and management of the water itself can reduce the need for drugs from the start, and the potential benefits can improve pig health, growth, and feed conversion rate (FCR).

Compared with feed, drinking water to treat pigs may provide a more targeted and practical treatment—provided that the water system is established and managed in the correct way after detailed discussions with the veterinarian.

Here, AHDB summarizes what producers need to know about water system management and water medicine selection, including the latest results from one of its strategic farms, which has been working to improve water quality for the past 18 months.

Many manufacturers may reasonably determine that their water is clean and that the flow rate of the entire installation is adequate. However, according to Andrew Palmer, AHDB's knowledge exchange manager, they often find that when the water and systems are properly tested, there is room for further improvement.

“One of our strategic farms tested the water quality of a drinking fountain at one of its finishing sites and found that even if they cleaned the water system between batches, they did not reduce the number of bacteria as they hoped,” he said.

"When the first batch of pigs entered, the water quality at the source of the farm and the drinking fountain was good, but it started to get worse at the end of the batch.

"After the next batch, we helped them introduce a new'impact cleaning' program that reduced the total viable cell count (TVC) from more than 600 measured after the previous cleaning to about 30 (see Figure 1). By following the same step-by-step guide, the farm staff maintained the same good results in the other two batches without any input from AHDB. This convinced us that the process was effective and easy to follow."

The overall herd manager initially worked with AHDB and then trained the unit manager to follow the same process, and now he is in charge of the process.

It is important to review the impact of the new water sanitation procedures to ensure that progress is made and maintained. However, Mr. Palmer added that depending on how the water source and pipeline are set up, it may take a while to fully understand the special challenges faced by a device.

The manufacturer should remove and thoroughly clean the water tank, pipes and joints at least once a year (if not between batches). "When we dismantled the system of the strategic farm, we found some clogged and ineffective nipples." Mr. Palmer said. "After removing the debris and residue, it will significantly increase the flow rate of the entire system."

Improved FCR In the three batches after the introduction of the impact cleaning process, the average FCR was reduced to between 2.33 and 2.41, while the previous two recorded batches were 2.50 and 2.44 after the original water cleaning process.

Feed consumption in recent batches has also increased. The strategic farm team believes that cleaner water can help improve the health and production performance of pigs (see Table 1).

Mandy Nevel, pig veterinarian and head of the AHDB Animal Health and Welfare Team of Aquatic Medicine, said: “In places where pigs need to be treated, water medicine can provide a more flexible method, as long as the prescribed antibiotics are suitable for administration.” Not all antibiotics are available. So, having these discussions with your veterinarian is crucial," she said.

"Similarly, not all watering systems or the water itself are suitable. This needs to be evaluated and changed if necessary. This can be expensive in terms of time and money, so it is important to obtain advice from a reputable water system consultant Get good advice there.

“Sick pigs usually drink water, even if their appetite for feed decreases, so they are more likely to get the required amount of medicine through water rather than through feed, although this depends on the specific medicine prescribed. It also avoids running out of excess. The problem of drug feed and residual feed in the pipeline or hopper."

Water medicine usually involves administering a specific dose of the product to a group of pigs within a few hours. This can be done by adding the product to the collection tank in each shed or by using an automatic metering device to meter the product in proportion, which continuously delivers the correct dose to the drinking water supply system in the shed.

Clogged and worn nipple drinkers

For example, when only 10-15% of the animals in the pig house need treatment, water administration can work well, which means that there is no need to treat the entire pig house, but there are too many pigs that need to be treated separately .

Some farmers have installed a second water pipe to supply water to a small number of pig pens. This water can be fed through an automatic metering system. If there is already a second water supply system in the shed that can be connected, the cost of internal plumbing plus labor costs will reach hundreds of pounds instead of thousands of pounds.

Others use a small water tank or bucket for each pen that needs to be processed, although the potion supply is not as pressurized as an online metering system, so it may not be accurate.

Potential trap water medicine may not be suitable for all farms or treatment methods, so it is recommended to discuss any changes with the unit's veterinarian.

In addition, there is still a risk of variation in the dose rate between different pigs, and it is necessary to fully understand and manage the specific conditions of each farm's water supply system.

Dr. Nevel added that the unit’s water supply system must provide sufficient clean, high-quality water for all pigs, which may require some work to achieve.

High bacterial counts or heavy metal contamination in the water can reduce the effectiveness of the medicine and reduce the growth rate.

Biofilm is a special problem in water pipes, which reduces the antibacterial and disinfection effect, so more bacteria can survive and can infect pigs again or infect the next batch of pigs. For example, when Escherichia coli is located in a biofilm, its resistance to chloride treatment is 3,000 times higher than when it is in water alone.

"Clean, uncontaminated water can only be delivered through a clean, uncontaminated system," said Dr. Nevel.

"Paying attention to the cleanliness of the water pipes and ensuring that all pigs get enough water-even at the end of a pig house that has been cleaned vigorously-is essential for achieving good production efficiency and effective water use."

AHDB has produced two guides to help manufacturers "impact clean" their water systems. They will take you through every step, including how to treat the system to remove biofilm and the key considerations for clean water management. The guide can be downloaded from the AHDB website: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library

If the price is competitive, are you willing to feed your pigs with insect protein?

© 2016 Lewis Business Media. all rights reserved. Lewis Business Media, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

Terms and Conditions | Privacy and Cookie Policy | Refund Policy Poultry Industry News | Farm Business