With the acceleration of the modern chicken raising technology, the chicken automatic water supply system (nipple drinker) has been widely use in layer chicken cage . Many farmers choose the nipple drinker as the water supply system. The nipple drinker has the advantages of satisfying the chicken drinking water, saving labor, saving water, improving drinking water hygiene, etc., thereby improving the economic benefits of raising chickens. However, in the process of using nipple drinkers, most chicken farms often encounter various problems due to unreasonable installation methods, which affect the production of chickens and the normal drinking water of chickens. In addition to the overall requirements when installing the nipple drinker, the rationality of the nipple drinker installation should be ensured according to the different production stages of the chicken and the specific requirements.
1 General requirements for installing a nipple drinker
The installation of the nipple drinker should be standardized and reasonable to ensure that the water pipe is straight and ensure that the water supply in each section of the water pipe is even. A water filter should be installed at the inlet of the water pipe to prevent foreign matter from entering the drinking water system to block the drinker and pollute the water. The drinking nipple should be installed vertically downwards to avoid water leakage and to meet the drinking habits of the chickens. According to the number of layers in the chicken coop, a pressure-controlled water tank should be installed at the inlet end of each layer of the chicken cage to ensure uniform water pressure in each section of the water pipe. The end of the water pipe should be equipped with a plug that can open the water pipe flexibly, so that the water pipe can be opened at any time to release foreign matter or deteriorated water in the water pipe. When installing the drinking nipple, the drilling of the drinking water pipe must be round and smooth, so that the drinking nipple and the drinking water pipe are in close contact to ensure no water leakage. The drinking nipple should be installed in the middle of the cage cage. It should not be close to one side. Otherwise, the drinking water pipe will be deformed due to temperature changes (thermal expansion and contraction), causing the chicken cage wire to push the drinking nipple, resulting in drinking nipples and drinking water pipes. Do not get in close contact and leak water.
2 Specific requirements for installing a nipple drinker
In the brooding period, the nipple drinker should be installed in the obvious and easy-to-discover location of the chick, so that the chick can find the drinking nipple in time and drink water. According to the habit of drinking water from the chicken, the drinking nipple should be installed above the body of the chicken. The chicks grow fast during the brooding period. When installing the drinking nipples, there should be room for adjustment. According to the growth of the chickens, the height of the drinking nipples can be adjusted at any time to ensure the normal drinking water of the chickens and to meet the drinking habits of the chickens. Prevent the nipples from being too low, and the chickens are easy to touch the nipples and leak water. The nipples are too high, the chicks can’t reach the drinking nipples and can’t drink water, which affects the normal growth and health of the chicks. According to the number of chickens, determine the number of drinking nipples installed.
Young chicken nipple drinker installation, young chickens grow fast, should pay attention to the installation height of drinking nipples, leaving a large adjustable space, in order to adjust the height of the drinking nipple according to the growth of the chicken. Young chicken drinking nipples are usually installed above the trough in front of the cage. The direction of the drinking nipple should be slightly inclined 10 degrees into the cage. This can not only facilitate the drinking water of the chickens, but also prevent the drinking water from falling into the trough and causing the fermentation to deteriorate.
For the installation of the laying nipple nipple drinker, the laying nipple nipple drinker should be installed in front of the top of the chicken cage. This can satisfy the chicken’s drinking habits. The height of the laying hens meets certain requirements. The chickens are prone to water leakage when they are exposed to the drinking nipples, which causes the chickens to be wet for a long time, which is not conducive to the chickens themselves cleaning. Therefore, the hen’s drinking nipple should be installed between two adjacent cages, and the chickens are not easy to touch, thus reducing the chance of water leakage. At the same time, each chicken in the chicken cage has 2 drinking nipples to drink
water, which improves the safety of drinking water for the chickens. The drinking nipples should not be too close to the trough. When the birds drink water, the water easily falls into the trough, causing the feed to ferment and deteriorate, which affects the health of the chickens in poultry farming equipment
.