Commercial Poultry Production and Hatchery Management

A GUIDE FOR DRINKING WATER QUALITY FOR POULTRY

Use the following table as a guide for drinking water quality for poultry
Contaminant, Characteristic or Mineral		Maximum Acceptable Levels
Bacteria		--
Total Heterotrophic Bacteria		100 CFU/100 ml
Coliform Bacteria		50 CFU/100 ml
pH		6.0 to 8.0
Hardness		110 ppm
Naturally Occurring Compounds		--
Calcium		500 ppm
Chloride		250 ppm
Copper		0.6 ppm
Iron*		0.03 ppm
Magnesium		125 ppm
Manganese**		0.05 ppm
Nitrate***		25 ppm
Phosphorus		0.1 ppm
Potassium		500 ppm
Sodium		50 ppm
Sulfate		250 ppm

• *Iron as high as 660 ppm has been shown to not affect bird health, but it will have detrimental effects on water lines and fogging systems (Fairchild et al., 2005).
• **Manganese as high as 20 ppm has been reported to not affect bird health, but it can have negative effects on water lines and fogging systems (Batal et al., 2005).
• ***Nitrates as high as 600 ppm have been shown to not affect bird health (unpublished data).
• Many of the water quality standards for poultry drinking water were originally developed from those for human drinking water.
• Few of the standards recommended today are based on research utilizing broiler or layers.
• Recently, a series of studies has been conducted examining the effects of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nitrates (NO3) and pH levels in drinking water on poultry performance.
• The results of these studies have found that very high levels of Fe, Mn and NO3 do not impact broiler health.
• In those studies no differences in performance were noted due to 600 ppm of Fe, 600 ppm of NO₃ and 20 ppm of Mn.
• It should be noted that the water lines were thoroughly flushed between studies and that particulates that result from high Fe and Mn levels can lead to equipment problems such as leaky nipples and clogged fogging nozzles. These studies tested each contaminant individually, and combinations of various contaminants at increased concentrations may still impact broiler performance.
• When birds are experiencing problems such as feed passage or poor feed conversion, however, broiler performance is more likely to be affected by improper equipment function rather than bird health due to high concentrations of these substances.
• Poor water quality can lead to increased microbial growth (such as iron bacteria) and biofilm buildup.