Abstract
The aspects involved in broiler water intake are not well known, despite the importance of water in animal nutrition and physiology. Water intake behavior should be taken into account when deciding on different types of drinkers. Bell and nipple drinkers are the most commonly used in commercial broiler production. Broilers were housed in cages equipped with two different drinker types and raised at two different environmental temperatures (25 and 34 oC) to evaluate water intake behavior and volume. Broiler water intake behavior was influenced by drinker type. Birds visited bell drinkers less often, but presented higher total water intake per visit to the drinker as compared to those drinking from nipple drinkers. The results of this study suggest that both broilers drinking behavior and water intake volume should be taken into account when deciding on drinker type to equip broiler houses.
Highlights
Water is one of the most important nutrients in animal nutrition, and plays an essential physiological role related to the thermal homeostasis of birds and other animals, especially during heat stress. Leeson & Summers (1991) and Lott (1991) reported that broilers submitted to acute heat stress have higher water intake
The results of this study suggest that both broilers drinking behavior and water intake volume should be taken into account when deciding on drinker type to equip broiler houses
Considering that water is one of the most important nutrients in animal nutrition, any aspect involved in its relationship with broiler production is very important both from the physiological and the behavioral perspectives
Summary
Water is one of the most important nutrients in animal nutrition, and plays an essential physiological role related to the thermal homeostasis of birds and other animals, especially during heat stress. Leeson & Summers (1991) and Lott (1991) reported that broilers submitted to acute heat stress have higher water intake. Water is one of the most important nutrients in animal nutrition, and plays an essential physiological role related to the thermal homeostasis of birds and other animals, especially during heat stress. Water intake increases in order to maintain thermoregulatory balance (Bruno & Macari, 2002), as heat stress induces high water loss through the respiratory tract as a means to achieve efficient thermoregulation through evaporative cooling. In addition to its nutritional role, water plays is more important for thermoregulation in modern broiler chickens as compared to other animal species (Bruno & Macari, 2002), especially under hot conditions. An example was the development of nipple drinkers Such drinkers present some advantages as compared to bell–shaped hanging drinkers, which require less labor, waste less water and improves health aspects (Macari, 1996)
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