Posted Contributions: Animal Welfare

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Conference: Forum 5: Animal Welfare: Contributions: Posted Contributions: Animal Welfare

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  By Josef Kamphues / Moderator Nutrition on Thursday, December 30, 1999:

Results of field studies on water supply and water quality on pig producing farms in Northern Germany

J. Kamphues, T. Schulze-Horsel, Claudia Rade and Petra Wolf
Institute of Animal Nutrition, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany

A sufficient supply of water is a precondition for a high feed intake, efficient adjustment of body temperature, elimination of nutrients` surplus (nitrogen, electrolytes) and metabolites (urea), renal and urine bladder health and for well-being of animals. According to an official directive - focussed on housing, feeding and watering conditions of pigs - there is special need for continuous control of water supply in pigs.
Aim of the field study was to achieve detailed information on water supply and its quality under recent field conditions. For this purpose water delivery techniques as well as quality on 29 farms in the northern parts of Germany were investigated (10/9 farms each: sows for piglet production, special units for reared piglets and fattening pigs). Based on answers to questionnaires, own observations, measurements of water delivery rates (individual water dispensers) and chemical analyzes of water samples (taken on the farms) following results were achieved:
Availability of water: On 3 of 10 farms water was offered by hand to pregnant sows, to the otherones water was available by water dispensers (in 3 cases: time restricted availability). Piglets and fattening pigs were supplied in general by water dispensers without any restriction. In a few cases animals could not reach the water dispenser by normal activities (false installation). 25 of 3000 individually checked water dispensers were nearly dry (due to mineral deposits, plugging of sieves a.s.o.). On average the water flow rate was very much higher than recommended or necessary. Mean flow rates (on farm basis) varied between 1.4 and 6.3 l/min. in pregnant sows, between 1.5 and 6.7 l/min. in lactating ones, between 0.49 and 2.7 l/min. in reared piglets and between 0.96 and 2.1 l/min. in fattening pigs. The variation of water delivery rates within a farm (examples will be presented) deserves a special mention.
Water quality: Only on 5 farms a load of water by Enterobacteriaceae was detected (< 102/ml); the iron concentration varied between 0.1 and 32 mg Fe/l, comparable variation was measured in calcium content (22-142 mg/l). On 6 of 26 farms the nitrate concentration exceeded the level of 50 mg/l, that is tolerated in drinking water. Only on 3 farms water contained sulfate concentrations in the range of 400 - 800 mg/l (eventually of interest due to its laxative effects).
Conclusion: The most interesting findings concern the variation of delivery rates in individual drinkers within a farm or production unit. Under the aspect of drug application via water (common practice in reared piglets) this variation is noteworthy. Wasting of water due to high delivery rates should be avoided by sufficient watering technique and by adding of roughage (especially in pregnant sows) and not by time restricted offering of water that results among others in elevated predisposition for urogenital infections of sows.