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Effects of Nipple and Trough Watering Systems on Broiler Performance
Effects of Nipple and Trough Watering Systems on Broiler Performance J. D. MCMASTERS, G. C. HARRIS, JR. AND T. L. GOODWIN Department of Animal Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 (Received for publication August 18, 1970)
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
Two experiments were conducted from April 1968 to July 1969. In all trials the performance of broilers to 8 weeks of age was compared for a nipple system suspended over the litter with a conventional broiler trough waterer (121.9 cm. length) which served as a control. Chicks were started at day-old on the nipple or trough waterers without any supplemental water jugs. Forty commercial broiler chicks (twenty males and twenty females) were placed in each replicate room at one day of age. Sixteen rooms (121.9 cm. X 243.84 cm.) with the same ventilation rate of 70.8 liters per bird per minute (2.5 c.f.m.) were used. In the first trial of experiment 1, eight of the rooms were randomly assigned with 4 replicate rooms per watering system. In trials 2 and 3, 16 rooms were used with 8 replicate rooms assigned to each of the two watering systems tested. A ratio of 13 birds per nipple was used in the 3 trials of experiment 1. In experiment 2 three nipple waterers with bird to nipple ratios of 13:1, 8:1, and 2.5:1 were compared to the trough control. Four replicate rooms were randomly assigned to each of the 4 treatments. The nipple system consisted of black plastic pipe mounted below a piece of lumber 5.08 cm. X 5.08 cm. since the pipe was not rigid enough to support itself. The nipples were mounted at intervals of 30.48 cm., 20.32 cm. or 13.97 cm. for the three bird:nipple ratios. The nipples were gray plastic with a stainless steel plunger. The nipple system was supplied by Fox Prod-
432
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
ATER represents a major part of the nutrient intake of poultry. The vital role of water is indicated by the observation that the body can lose practically all of its fat and over one-half of its protein while the loss of one-tenth of its water results in serious physical disorders. (Maynard, 1951; and Kellerup et at., 1965). Feed wastage may be markedly influenced by the form of the feed and the type of waterer. Feed wastage of approximately \ gram per bird per day was recovered from the drinking water of birds fed finely ground feed, while a negligible amount was recovered when birds were fed pellets (Eley and Hoffman, 1949). The wastage of mash was reduced by the use of dew-drop waterers to approximately 1/10th to 1/2 0th of that obtained with trough and pan waterers, respectively (Weiss, 1960). The dew-drop waterer is similar to the more recently accepted nipple waterer that is used in many cage layer operations. The main difference between the dew-drop and the nipple waterer is that the latter requires the bird to push a plunger upward to obtain water. If chicks could be started at day-old on a nipple system, the use of water jugs would not be required during brooding and the labor needed for cleaning jugs and troughs eliminated. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to determine whether or not broiler chicks could be grown on litter with nipple waterers to a weight equivalent to that obtained on the trough system, and (2) to determine the proper bird to nipple ratio as measured by broiler performance.
W
433
WATERING SYSTEMS
TABLE 1.—Comparison of nipple versus trough (Experiment 1) Watering System
Measures of Performance
Trials
Mortality (No. died/ No. started)
Nipple2
Trough Control
1 2 3 Mean
6/160 8/320 25/320 13/267"
12/160 8/320 15/320 12/267"
8-week Body weight (gms.)1
1 2 3 Mean
1652 1382 1315 1450"
1706 1453 1363 1507b
Feed/gain ratio 1
1 2 3 Mean
2.06 2.04 2.04 2.05"
2.08 2.12 2.01 2.07"
1 Each value represents the mean of 4 replicates in trial 1 and 8 replicates in trials 2 and 3. Each replicate consisted of 20 male and 20 female broiler chicks. Means with different superscripts are significantly different ( P < .05). The standard error of the mean body weight was +27 gm, +13 gm and + 28 gm for trials 1, 2 and 3, respectively. 2 Fox (Model 40) plastic nipple with metal plunger. A ratio of 13 birds per nipple.
TABLE 2.—Effect of number of birds per nipple on broiler performance to 8 weeks of age (Experiment 2) Watering System Measures
Mortality (No. died/No. started) 1 Body weight (gms.) Feed/gain ratio1
22/160 1552 2.26
4/160 1602 2.29
5/160 1621 2.20
7/160 1592 2.24
1 Each value represents the mean of 4 replicates of 40 broiler chicks. No significant differences were observed in this experiment.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Baby chicks had no difficulty in locating and drinking from the nipples at day-old. However, it was observed that the nipple waterer needed to be at a height that the chicks could easily reach by an upward pecking motion. If the waterer was too low a few baby chicks did not learn to drink immediately from the nipples. These chicks would just drink the droplet on the nipple and therefore become dew-drop drinkers. The nipple must be high enough above the chicks' head (approximately 10-12 cm. above the litter at day-old) to permit the chick to depress the plunger and learn the upward pecking motion which is necessary for the chick to obtain water. No significant differences in mortality or feed/gain ratio were noted between the nipple and trough systems in the two experiments (Tables 1 and 2). In experiment 1 body weight was lower (57 grams) with the nipple waterer than with the trough waterer. An over-all comparison of the two watering systems showed that body weight was significantly lower (P < .05) for birds on nipples. The slower growth on the nipples at a bird to nipple ratio of 13:1 indicated that possibly an insufficient number of nipples was available for drinking. In experiment 2 the number of nipples per waterer was increased to give bird to nipple ratios of 8:1 and 2.5:1. This change in bird to nipple ratio resulted in an increase in body weights as the number of
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
ucts Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Water consumption was measured from 0-8 weeks in the first trial of experiment 1. Litter moisture was determined in both experiments for three litter samples from each replicate room. The litter was thoroughly mixed adjacent to the trough waterer and beneath the nipple waterers prior to sampling. The litter was wood shavings that were approximately 7.62 cm. in depth. Ten birds (5 males and 5 females) were randomly selected from each replicate room at the conclusion of the studies and analyzed for percent moisture, protein and fat. Tenderness of the biceps fetnoris and pectoralis major muscles were measured using an AlloKramer shear press. Data were complied on a pen basis with each room considered a replicate. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance for each trial (Steel and Torrie, 1960). Treatment differences were determined by Duncan's multiple range test (Duncan, 1955).
434
J. D. MCMASTERS, G. C. HARRIS, JR. AND T. L. GOODWIN
^200
1 o ex
m 150 tc LU 0. Q
~> 100 CO
z o o
(£
I
50 Trough Nipple 13=1 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 AGE OF BIRDS (Weeks)
8
FIG. 1. Water consumed with the nipple waterer at a bird to nipple ratio of 13 :1 as compared to a conventional broiler trough waterer (Experiment 1—Trial 1).
nipples increased. Both of the ratios of 8:1 and 2.5:1 gave body weights that were slightly higher than the trough control, but this increase was not significant. The nipple waterer with a 13:1 bird to nipple ratio gave the lowest growth rate of the 4 waterers tested; however, this difference in body weight was non-significant (Table 2). The total water consumption of broilers from 0 to 8 weeks of age on the nipple and trough waterers was equal (131 cc. per bird per day). However, a higher rate of water consumption for the birds on nipples appeared from 5 to 8 weeks of age (Figure 1). The water values were only corrected for evaporation from the container attached to each waterer. The amount of evaporation from the trough itself was not measured.
SUMMARY
Broiler chicks were started and grown to 8 weeks of age on a nipple waterer suspended over the litter. The litter moisture was significantly higher with the nipple system as compared to the trough. However, this higher litter moisture did not affect the growth of broilers since the top layer of the litter remained in good condition. No differences in body weight, feed efficiency or mortality were observed between the nipple system with a bird to nipple ratio of 8:1 or 2.5:1 and the trough system. A decrease in the number of nipples to give a 13:1 bird to nipple ratio resulted in a significantly lower body weight.
TABLE 3.—Eight week litter moisture (%) 1,2 Watering Systems Experi- Trial ment No. No.
Nipple Ratio of birds/nipple 13:1 8:1 2.5:1 72a 48a 45 a 38a
1
(Percent)
54 a
60a
Trough Control 58a 17 h
Each value is the mean of 3 duplicate litter samples from each of 4 pens from waterer area. Litter was wood shavings 7.62 cm. in depth. 2 Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P<.05).
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
The greater amount of water utilized with the nipple system during the 5-8 week period could either have been consumed or wasted. It was apparently the latter since litter moisture was significantly higher for nipples in 3 of the 4 trials (Table 3). The moisture content of the litter increased with the availability of more nipples but these differences were non-significant. It was observed that the top layer of the litter could be retained in a dry condition with proper ventilation. The higher moisture content of the litter did not appear to influence growth rate during the rather short growing period of 8 weeks for broilers.
250
WATERING SYSTEMS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES Duncan, D. B., 19SS. Multiple range and multiple
F tests. Biometrics, 1 1 : 1-42. Eley, C. P., and E. Hoffman, 1949. Feed particle size as a factor in water consumption and elimination. Poultry Sci. 28: 715-722. Kellerup, S. U., J. E. Parker and G. H. Arscott, 1965. Effect of restricted water consumption on broiler chicks. Poultry Sci. 44: 78-83. Maynard, L., 1951. Animal Nutrition. Third Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. Steel, R. G., and J. H. Torrie, 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. Weiss, H. S., 1960. Measures feed wasted by chickens when drinking. New Jersey Agriculture March-April, pp. 12-13.
Egg White Catalase: 1. Catalatic Reaction1'2 H. R. BALL3, JR. AND O. J. COTTERILL Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65201 (Received for publication August 18, 1970)
L
OEW (1901) briefly looked at egg white (EW) as a source of catalase. He found what he believed was a catalatic reaction and reported EW as a poor source of catalase. The egg was used as a model system by Winternitz and Rogers (1910) to study the relationship of catalase activity to embryonic development. They found that catalase activity of EW increased as embryonic growth occurred. Pennington and Robertson (1912) confirmed the above studies. In addition, they noted that the activity in EW did not decrease as the shell egg or frozen EW was stored. 1
Contribution from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station. Journal Series Number 6051 Approved by the Director. 2 From a dissertation submitted by the senior author to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. 3 Present address: Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607.
Lineweaver et al. (1948) found that the catalatic activity of EW could be destroyed by heating EW to 63°C. or by holding EW at pH 3. They also noted large egg to egg variation in catalatic activity and reported activities ranging from 7 X 10~3 to 69 X 10-3 Kat.f. They estimated that 85% of the egg catalase would be found in the EW. Lloyd and Harriman (1957) claimed that heating EW to 54°C. for three minutes was sufficient to inactivate catalase so that bactericidial concentrations of H 2 0 2 could be added. Henderson and Robinson (1969) also found that there was considerable variation in the catalase activity from egg to egg. They found that the catalatic activity was decreased by heating and reported an activation enthalpy of 39.8 kcal. mole-1. The activity was shown to be proportional to the concentration of H 2 0 2 up to 3mg. H2 0 2 /ml. Above that concentration activity decreased. Dialysis did not reduce the activity but potassium cyanide did inhibit the reaction.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
Sincere appreciation is extended to Dr. T. R. C. Rokeby for providing assistance in design of the environmental facilities. The authors would like to thank Paragon Electric Co. for supplying the time clocks and timers; and Fox Products Co., supplier of the nipple waterer equipment. The assistance of Mrs. Zelpha Johnson in the statistical analysis is gratefully acknowledged.
435
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
Two experiments were conducted from April 1968 to July 1969. In all trials the performance of broilers to 8 weeks of age was compared for a nipple system suspended over the litter with a conventional broiler trough waterer (121.9 cm. length) which served as a control. Chicks were started at day-old on the nipple or trough waterers without any supplemental water jugs. Forty commercial broiler chicks (twenty males and twenty females) were placed in each replicate room at one day of age. Sixteen rooms (121.9 cm. X 243.84 cm.) with the same ventilation rate of 70.8 liters per bird per minute (2.5 c.f.m.) were used. In the first trial of experiment 1, eight of the rooms were randomly assigned with 4 replicate rooms per watering system. In trials 2 and 3, 16 rooms were used with 8 replicate rooms assigned to each of the two watering systems tested. A ratio of 13 birds per nipple was used in the 3 trials of experiment 1. In experiment 2 three nipple waterers with bird to nipple ratios of 13:1, 8:1, and 2.5:1 were compared to the trough control. Four replicate rooms were randomly assigned to each of the 4 treatments. The nipple system consisted of black plastic pipe mounted below a piece of lumber 5.08 cm. X 5.08 cm. since the pipe was not rigid enough to support itself. The nipples were mounted at intervals of 30.48 cm., 20.32 cm. or 13.97 cm. for the three bird:nipple ratios. The nipples were gray plastic with a stainless steel plunger. The nipple system was supplied by Fox Prod-
432
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
ATER represents a major part of the nutrient intake of poultry. The vital role of water is indicated by the observation that the body can lose practically all of its fat and over one-half of its protein while the loss of one-tenth of its water results in serious physical disorders. (Maynard, 1951; and Kellerup et at., 1965). Feed wastage may be markedly influenced by the form of the feed and the type of waterer. Feed wastage of approximately \ gram per bird per day was recovered from the drinking water of birds fed finely ground feed, while a negligible amount was recovered when birds were fed pellets (Eley and Hoffman, 1949). The wastage of mash was reduced by the use of dew-drop waterers to approximately 1/10th to 1/2 0th of that obtained with trough and pan waterers, respectively (Weiss, 1960). The dew-drop waterer is similar to the more recently accepted nipple waterer that is used in many cage layer operations. The main difference between the dew-drop and the nipple waterer is that the latter requires the bird to push a plunger upward to obtain water. If chicks could be started at day-old on a nipple system, the use of water jugs would not be required during brooding and the labor needed for cleaning jugs and troughs eliminated. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to determine whether or not broiler chicks could be grown on litter with nipple waterers to a weight equivalent to that obtained on the trough system, and (2) to determine the proper bird to nipple ratio as measured by broiler performance.
W
433
WATERING SYSTEMS
TABLE 1.—Comparison of nipple versus trough (Experiment 1) Watering System
Measures of Performance
Trials
Mortality (No. died/ No. started)
Nipple2
Trough Control
1 2 3 Mean
6/160 8/320 25/320 13/267"
12/160 8/320 15/320 12/267"
8-week Body weight (gms.)1
1 2 3 Mean
1652 1382 1315 1450"
1706 1453 1363 1507b
Feed/gain ratio 1
1 2 3 Mean
2.06 2.04 2.04 2.05"
2.08 2.12 2.01 2.07"
1 Each value represents the mean of 4 replicates in trial 1 and 8 replicates in trials 2 and 3. Each replicate consisted of 20 male and 20 female broiler chicks. Means with different superscripts are significantly different ( P < .05). The standard error of the mean body weight was +27 gm, +13 gm and + 28 gm for trials 1, 2 and 3, respectively. 2 Fox (Model 40) plastic nipple with metal plunger. A ratio of 13 birds per nipple.
TABLE 2.—Effect of number of birds per nipple on broiler performance to 8 weeks of age (Experiment 2) Watering System Measures
Mortality (No. died/No. started) 1 Body weight (gms.) Feed/gain ratio1
22/160 1552 2.26
4/160 1602 2.29
5/160 1621 2.20
7/160 1592 2.24
1 Each value represents the mean of 4 replicates of 40 broiler chicks. No significant differences were observed in this experiment.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Baby chicks had no difficulty in locating and drinking from the nipples at day-old. However, it was observed that the nipple waterer needed to be at a height that the chicks could easily reach by an upward pecking motion. If the waterer was too low a few baby chicks did not learn to drink immediately from the nipples. These chicks would just drink the droplet on the nipple and therefore become dew-drop drinkers. The nipple must be high enough above the chicks' head (approximately 10-12 cm. above the litter at day-old) to permit the chick to depress the plunger and learn the upward pecking motion which is necessary for the chick to obtain water. No significant differences in mortality or feed/gain ratio were noted between the nipple and trough systems in the two experiments (Tables 1 and 2). In experiment 1 body weight was lower (57 grams) with the nipple waterer than with the trough waterer. An over-all comparison of the two watering systems showed that body weight was significantly lower (P < .05) for birds on nipples. The slower growth on the nipples at a bird to nipple ratio of 13:1 indicated that possibly an insufficient number of nipples was available for drinking. In experiment 2 the number of nipples per waterer was increased to give bird to nipple ratios of 8:1 and 2.5:1. This change in bird to nipple ratio resulted in an increase in body weights as the number of
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
ucts Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Water consumption was measured from 0-8 weeks in the first trial of experiment 1. Litter moisture was determined in both experiments for three litter samples from each replicate room. The litter was thoroughly mixed adjacent to the trough waterer and beneath the nipple waterers prior to sampling. The litter was wood shavings that were approximately 7.62 cm. in depth. Ten birds (5 males and 5 females) were randomly selected from each replicate room at the conclusion of the studies and analyzed for percent moisture, protein and fat. Tenderness of the biceps fetnoris and pectoralis major muscles were measured using an AlloKramer shear press. Data were complied on a pen basis with each room considered a replicate. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance for each trial (Steel and Torrie, 1960). Treatment differences were determined by Duncan's multiple range test (Duncan, 1955).
434
J. D. MCMASTERS, G. C. HARRIS, JR. AND T. L. GOODWIN
^200
1 o ex
m 150 tc LU 0. Q
~> 100 CO
z o o
(£
I
50 Trough Nipple 13=1 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 AGE OF BIRDS (Weeks)
8
FIG. 1. Water consumed with the nipple waterer at a bird to nipple ratio of 13 :1 as compared to a conventional broiler trough waterer (Experiment 1—Trial 1).
nipples increased. Both of the ratios of 8:1 and 2.5:1 gave body weights that were slightly higher than the trough control, but this increase was not significant. The nipple waterer with a 13:1 bird to nipple ratio gave the lowest growth rate of the 4 waterers tested; however, this difference in body weight was non-significant (Table 2). The total water consumption of broilers from 0 to 8 weeks of age on the nipple and trough waterers was equal (131 cc. per bird per day). However, a higher rate of water consumption for the birds on nipples appeared from 5 to 8 weeks of age (Figure 1). The water values were only corrected for evaporation from the container attached to each waterer. The amount of evaporation from the trough itself was not measured.
SUMMARY
Broiler chicks were started and grown to 8 weeks of age on a nipple waterer suspended over the litter. The litter moisture was significantly higher with the nipple system as compared to the trough. However, this higher litter moisture did not affect the growth of broilers since the top layer of the litter remained in good condition. No differences in body weight, feed efficiency or mortality were observed between the nipple system with a bird to nipple ratio of 8:1 or 2.5:1 and the trough system. A decrease in the number of nipples to give a 13:1 bird to nipple ratio resulted in a significantly lower body weight.
TABLE 3.—Eight week litter moisture (%) 1,2 Watering Systems Experi- Trial ment No. No.
Nipple Ratio of birds/nipple 13:1 8:1 2.5:1 72a 48a 45 a 38a
1
(Percent)
54 a
60a
Trough Control 58a 17 h
Each value is the mean of 3 duplicate litter samples from each of 4 pens from waterer area. Litter was wood shavings 7.62 cm. in depth. 2 Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P<.05).
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
The greater amount of water utilized with the nipple system during the 5-8 week period could either have been consumed or wasted. It was apparently the latter since litter moisture was significantly higher for nipples in 3 of the 4 trials (Table 3). The moisture content of the litter increased with the availability of more nipples but these differences were non-significant. It was observed that the top layer of the litter could be retained in a dry condition with proper ventilation. The higher moisture content of the litter did not appear to influence growth rate during the rather short growing period of 8 weeks for broilers.
250
WATERING SYSTEMS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES Duncan, D. B., 19SS. Multiple range and multiple
F tests. Biometrics, 1 1 : 1-42. Eley, C. P., and E. Hoffman, 1949. Feed particle size as a factor in water consumption and elimination. Poultry Sci. 28: 715-722. Kellerup, S. U., J. E. Parker and G. H. Arscott, 1965. Effect of restricted water consumption on broiler chicks. Poultry Sci. 44: 78-83. Maynard, L., 1951. Animal Nutrition. Third Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. Steel, R. G., and J. H. Torrie, 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. Weiss, H. S., 1960. Measures feed wasted by chickens when drinking. New Jersey Agriculture March-April, pp. 12-13.
Egg White Catalase: 1. Catalatic Reaction1'2 H. R. BALL3, JR. AND O. J. COTTERILL Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65201 (Received for publication August 18, 1970)
L
OEW (1901) briefly looked at egg white (EW) as a source of catalase. He found what he believed was a catalatic reaction and reported EW as a poor source of catalase. The egg was used as a model system by Winternitz and Rogers (1910) to study the relationship of catalase activity to embryonic development. They found that catalase activity of EW increased as embryonic growth occurred. Pennington and Robertson (1912) confirmed the above studies. In addition, they noted that the activity in EW did not decrease as the shell egg or frozen EW was stored. 1
Contribution from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station. Journal Series Number 6051 Approved by the Director. 2 From a dissertation submitted by the senior author to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. 3 Present address: Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607.
Lineweaver et al. (1948) found that the catalatic activity of EW could be destroyed by heating EW to 63°C. or by holding EW at pH 3. They also noted large egg to egg variation in catalatic activity and reported activities ranging from 7 X 10~3 to 69 X 10-3 Kat.f. They estimated that 85% of the egg catalase would be found in the EW. Lloyd and Harriman (1957) claimed that heating EW to 54°C. for three minutes was sufficient to inactivate catalase so that bactericidial concentrations of H 2 0 2 could be added. Henderson and Robinson (1969) also found that there was considerable variation in the catalase activity from egg to egg. They found that the catalatic activity was decreased by heating and reported an activation enthalpy of 39.8 kcal. mole-1. The activity was shown to be proportional to the concentration of H 2 0 2 up to 3mg. H2 0 2 /ml. Above that concentration activity decreased. Dialysis did not reduce the activity but potassium cyanide did inhibit the reaction.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Purdue University Libraries ADMN on May 24, 2015
Sincere appreciation is extended to Dr. T. R. C. Rokeby for providing assistance in design of the environmental facilities. The authors would like to thank Paragon Electric Co. for supplying the time clocks and timers; and Fox Products Co., supplier of the nipple waterer equipment. The assistance of Mrs. Zelpha Johnson in the statistical analysis is gratefully acknowledged.
435