Tuesday 21 April 2015

Using A Constant Flow Water Supply For Chickens To Prevent Dehydration

By Stella Gay


Poultry is one of the most common sources of protein in the population's diet. Every year, millions of chickens are slaughtered. The meat is versatile and can be used in several different applications. Chicken farming therefore takes place on a mass scale. Large installations housing thousands of chickens need a reliable water supply, and a constant flow water supply for chickens is one such piece of equipment.

This equipment usually has a storage tank with several outlets. These outlets are nippled pipes extending out the tank, into reach of the chickens below. Gravity therefore moves the water down the pipes, and the chickens can activate the nipples as they require. No supervision is needed during use. Yet there are some points that users of this equipment should keep in mind.

It is much easier for a chicken to die of dehydration than a person, particularly where they are exposed to the sun. In unbroken sunshine, the chicken can die in mere hours. Its body mass is tiny compared to a person's, perhaps not even 5lb (2.5kg). Temperature changes are more severe to it, so what a person experiences as minor is potentially lethal to the bird. Sudden shifts in temperature can cause the bird to experience stress. Stress is a known killer among farm animals.

Another issue associated with dehydration is electrolyte loss. This is a problem in human health too. Electrolytes are nutrients occurring in foods such as mineral salts or table salts. They are essential to the nervous system and the muscles, so any animal that has these needs them. Examples are potassium and sodium. People excrete them in urine and sweat.

Symptoms of chicken dehydration are simple to observe and become more severe as the condition becomes worse. Its initial stage is characterized by paleness in the head or face. This is not necessarily dehydration - it may be some other illness. But if it develops into difficulty in breathing, it is more likely to be the former.

Left unassisted, the bird then develops diarrhea. This is much more conspicuous and necessitates intervention. However, this can also be the symptom of a disease which may in turn be causing the dehydrated condition. Alimentary ailments typically cause a loss of fluid, so the accompanying symptoms may well be interrelated in the infection and the bird is potentially not suffering from dehydration alone.

The most serious stage of dehydration is convulsions, where birds experience fits or become limp and immobile intermittently. This is the condition's final stage and it is extremely hard to save birds from death if this occurs. The fits are characterized by useless kicking with the feet and jaundice-like straining of the neck.

The bird can be saved at any stage of the condition, but should preferably be treated sooner rather than later. It will require personalized attention at first, but once it has recovered sufficiently to drink on its own it should be supplied with enough water or moistened feed. Also make sure that it has electrolytes to replenish its metabolic levels of these compounds.




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