Manual – Appendixes & Records

WATER TREATMENT CHECKLIST

Reminder – Untreated drinking water should not be supplied to farmed birds. The objective of water treatment is to minimise bacteria, viruses, algae and other organisms that birds consume in their drinking water, and that they are exposed to through shed cooling systems.

The objective of water treatment is to minimise bacteria, viruses, algae and other organisms that birds consume in their drinking water and that they are exposed to through shed cooling systems. Water provided to birds for drinking and that used for cooling must be treated. Wash-down water should also be treated.

CHLORINATION

Chlorination is an excellent way to effectively treat your farm water. However, chlorination will only be effective if the water is already relatively free of organic matter and solids. Filtration of the water supply prior to chlorination will nearly always be necessary.

There are a number of different chlorination systems available to poultry farmers. These can be obtained from a range of specialist water treatment companies, pumping companies or swimming pool suppliers. Assistance with the installation, operation and maintenance of these systems is usually offered by the supplier, as are kits for monitoring chlorination levels.

To effectively treat a poultry water supply, the water with chlorine at a concentration of 5 ppm (or equivalent) must be held for a minimum of 1 to 2 hours in a holding tank. This may require the use of a two-tank system, where water is being consumed by birds from one tank, while the other tank is refilled and stored with freshly chlorinated water until the required contact time of 1–2 hours has elapsed. Chlorine is more effective if the pH of the water is between 6 and 7 i.e. slightly acidic.

The chlorine concentration at the drinker must be at between 1 and 2 ppm (or equivalent) to ensure any contamination that might have occurred in the lines between the holding tank and the drinker has been effectively treated.

Water chlorination levels from drinkers in the shed should be monitored at least twice weekly to ensure the system is effectively treating the incoming water supply.

AS A GUIDE:

• Fill the test tube with water from drinkers in the shed
• Insert test strips (provided in the test kit) into the test tube
• Compare the colour of the chlorine square on the test strip with the chlorine colour squares on the standard colour chart (provided)
• Record the concentration level of the colour on the standard colour chart with that which most closely matches the test strip colour
• If the chlorine concentration is less that 2 ppm or greater than 5 ppm the concentration should be rechecked in one hour. If the concentration remains outside these limits, the unit should be adjusted and the concentrations checked again in 1 hour.

Alternative chlorination monitoring systems are available from companies that supply chlorination equipment.

UV TREATMENT

Ultraviolet (UV) treatment is an alternative method of treating farm water. However, UV will only be effective on clean, filtered water (not turbid water), and should only be considered on farms where the lines from the storage tank to the drinkers and the drinkers themselves are clean, in good repair and are well maintained, such that the possibility of contamination after UV treatment is minimised. UV treatment units and water filtering systems are available from specialist water treatment or pumping companies.

1. Birds must be collected regularly from property. Frequency of collection will be determined by factors such as type of poultry, size and climatic conditions. Birds should be stored in a freezer if the frequency of collection is likely to cause environmental impacts or increased biosecurity risk.
2. If used, the freezer must have sufficient capacity to adequately handle carcasses between collections and must be cleaned and sanitised between batches.
3. Collection area must be as far as practical away from the production area so that the collection vehicle does not enter the site.  For example a shed could be provided on a concrete base with doors on both sides, one for birds in, the other for birds out.  Birds must not be left in the public view.
4. All containers used for collecting dead birds must be washed and disinfected before returning them to the production area.

Composting is the aerobic microbial breakdown of organic matter, usually incorporating a thermophilic^[1] phase. The adoption of composting systems for poultry waste has received attention due to its ability to reduce litter volume, dispose of carcases, stabilise nutrients and trace elements and reduce pathogens.

1. Rodents, cats, dogs, feral animals, scavenging birds and flies must be kept away from composting carcasses.
2. Composting areas must be away from sheds and boundary fences.
3. Composting area must be kept neat and clean at all times.
4. Cleaning and disinfection of equipment such as bins, buckets and wheelbarrows must be done before returning them to the production areas and when moving between sheds.
5. Adequate Instructions / Guidelines for safe composting must be used.