The biosecurity system is a systematic project to block the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and protect the health of animals in the modern livestock and poultry breeding industry. In a biosecurity system, feed and drinking water are crucial, and farmers often only focus on the quality of feed and ignore the safety of drinking water. With the development of the laying hen industry, the farm gradually tends to be large-scale and facility-oriented, and the drinking water system has also changed from the original open to closed. Once the closed waterline is contaminated, it is difficult to detect, which is one of the reasons why many chronic diseases cannot be eradicated. We briefly describe the influencing factors of water quality and the hazards of biofilm, the current situation of drinking water quality, and the suggestions for waterline management, aiming to improve the safety awareness of farmers and ensure the safety of drinking water.
1. Factors influencing water quality and the hazards of biofilms
There are many factors that affect the quality of drinking water, mainly the following: 1. Color, smell and taste. Safe and hygienic drinking water should be clear, colorless and odorless. 2. The hardness of water. The hardness of water refers to the calcium salt and magnesium salt dissolved in the water, and the suitable hardness of drinking water is 10~20 degrees. 3. PH value. Drinking water with high PH value is easy to block the water line, and drinking water with low PH value has poor palatability. 4. Other pollutants, such as bacterial microbial content, nitrate and other mineral salts, will affect water quality.
The waterline is relatively closed, the water flow speed is slow, and the ambient temperature is suitable, forming a balanced and stable internal environment, which just provides a good space for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. Vitamins and vaccines are regularly added to the waterline by the farm, which provides excellent nutrients for the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, and over time, microorganisms and their secretions are attached and precipitated in large quantities in the waterline pipe wall, forming a so-called biofilm. Biofilm itself is a pollutant and a breeding ground for bacteria, which not only leads to a rapid increase in the total number of bacteria in the waterline, but also causes vaccines or drugs to be adsorbed and destroyed by organic scales, ultimately affecting the effectiveness of immunity or treatment. Therefore, farms should take measures to prevent the formation of biofilms or to eliminate biofilms that have already formed.
2. Measures and suggestions
1. Water source selection
Well water and reservoir water are greatly affected by factors such as climate, water source depth, and surrounding environment, especially when there are livestock and poultry epidemics in the surrounding area, and the water quality cannot be guaranteed. It is recommended that the conditional farms use tap water, if the use of surface water, groundwater, the water quality needs to be analyzed, in addition to detecting the bacterial content, the hardness of the water, salt content, PH value and other indicators should also be analyzed, and treatment measures should be taken according to the results.
2. Selection of disinfection methods and disinfectants
There are two common methods of waterline disinfection, one is acidifier disinfection. At present, there are many kinds of acidifier products on the market, the main components are formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, etc., and the pH value is generally about 4. Its main function is to remove biofilm and kill bacteria in the waterline, but also to enhance pepsin activity and provide feed utilization. The other is the soaking water pipe method, and the commonly used chemical disinfectants are chlorine preparations (chlorine dioxide, sodium trichloroisocyanurate, etc.), quaternary ammonium salts, baking soda, etc. Inject the water line through the dosing device that comes with the water line, and soak the disinfectant water pipe.
The acidifier is mild and non-irritating, and can be disinfected with drinking water for chickens. The disinfectant used in the soaking method has a high concentration and has a certain stimulating effect, and it cannot be disinfected with chickens, but it has a good effect on the removal of scale from water pipes. Therefore, it is recommended that the farm alternate between the two disinfection methods in order to achieve the best disinfection effect.
3. Disinfection steps (take immersion disinfection as an example)
The first step is to calculate the amount of disinfectant used and prepare the disinfectant. The 80 m long and 24 mm inner diameter waterline (6 sections) requires about 38 liters of cleaning and disinfectant solution. If there are 10 water lines, then at least 400L of disinfectant should be prepared. According to the recommended disinfection concentration of different disinfectants, prepare the corresponding amount of disinfectant.
The second step is to soak the water line pipe. The specific process is: after the chicken coop lights out, open the valve at the end of the water line and completely drain the water in the pipeline. Fill the water line with the prepared disinfectant solution. Observe whether the solution flowing from the drain has the characteristics of the disinfectant solution, such as color, foam, etc. Once the waterline is filled with cleaning and disinfectant solution, close the valve and leave the disinfectant solution in the line for 6-8 hours.
The third step is to rinse the waterline. Generally, before the chicken coop is lit on the second day, the disinfectant in the water line is emptied, and the water line is backflushed with tap water or disinfectant water that can be drunk by the chickens 2-3 times before it can be used normally.
The fourth step is to check in time. After the waterline is disinfected, it is necessary to check whether the drinking water nipple is blocked, so as to prevent the water pipe from being blocked after the scale is dissolved, resulting in the water cutting off of individual cages, especially for farms that do not carry out waterline disinfection for a long time. Qualified layer farms can test the disinfection effect and find suitable disinfection methods and disinfection frequency.