THE REALITIES ABOUT POULTRY The Modern Farm - The Realities About Poultry_Seco | Page 82

Water
Water is often overlooked, but it is one of the most important nutrients. An animal can live without
food longer than it can live without water. In a laying flock, a shortage of water for just a few hours
can result in reduced egg production, so clean water should be available at all times. If the farmer
does not use automatic waterers, he or she should fill the drinkers twice a day. If the drinkers are
filled only in the morning, birds can run out of water by midday. A laying hen drinks about 25% of
her daily water intake during the last two hours of daylight.
Water plays an important role in the body of an animal. Water softens feed and carries it through the
digestive tract. As a component of blood (90% of blood content), water carries nutrients from the
digestive tract to cells and carries away waste products. Water also helps cool the bird through
evaporation. (Birds do not have sweat glands, so their heat loss occurs in the air sacs and lungs
through rapid respiration.)
A baby chick is composed of about 80% water. Even though this percentage decreases as a bird gets
older, the need for water remains. There is no precise quantity requirement for water because there
are s everal factors that affect the amount of water a bird needs: age, body condition, diet,
temperature, water quality, and humidity. As a rule of thumb, poultry consume twice as much water
as feed.
Pellets
Of late, commercial feeds are available as pellets for adult chickens or crumbles for young chickens,
at a slightly higher cost. Pellets and crumbles are very acceptable but usually have little advantage
over mash. They may reduce waste or wind loss, are less dusty and will not separate during
transportation.
Factors Affecting the Nutrient Requirements of Poultry
The nutrient requirements of poultry are affected by a large number of factors, including:

Genetics (the species; breed or strain of bird): Different species, breeds or strains of bird have
different average body sizes, growth rates and production levels and will absorb and utilize
nutrients from feed with different levels of efficiency. Therefore they will require feed with
different nutrient compositions. The genetics of commercial poultry is constantly changing, and
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