Time to Test the Water
Bill Raufer
| Tuesday, June 11, 2002
A pig's cooling system depends on water – and performance suffers when it does not get enough. Areas that suffers most are growth, gain and feed conversion.
With summer upon us, consider taking the time to assess your operation's summer-watering situation. That worthwhile advice comes from Todd See, Extension swine specialist at North Carolina State University.
He points to research to back up his recommendations: "When the environmental temperature rises from 59°F to 95°F, a 75-pound pig's water needs increases by 57 percent. A 250-pound animal needs 63 percent more water for cooling, growth and gains. A gestating sow has to consume 3 to 5 gallons a day and a nursing sow, 8 to 10.5 gallons."
To assess the adequacy of your watering system to meet increased hot-weather demands, See recommends using this checklist:
Is the water clean and pure? Quality affects the animal's water consumption, feed digestibility and animal performance. Routinely monitor your water's mineral content and microbial safety. Most county health departments can provide this service.
Total dissolved solids should not exceed 6,000 to 7,000 parts per million. Often in-line filters and traps can help clean up a farm's water and improve its quality.
Do you clean screens in your watering devices regularly? Dirty filters restrict water flow, and during hot months pigs need to quench their thirsts fast.
Are the nipple flow rates checked regularly? This is an easy task using a measuring container that holds more than a cup.
Simply collect the water that comes out of a drinker in one minute. Compare the amount to the flow rate in the accompanying chart.
Do you have enough waterers per pen? A pig will stay at a waterer for a short period of time, making the number of waterers and the flow rate critical. Again, compare your hog numbers per waterer with the
recommendation provided.
Have you checked your watering devices for stray voltage? It will limit your pigs' water consumption. The electrical charge can be measured with a good voltmeter and an isolated ground. Sometimes as little as 0.5 to 1 volt may reduce water intake significantly. (If you have a problem, contact your electricity supplier for assistance.)
Do you keep the height of gate-mounted nipple waterers adjusted? Nipples should be positioned just above the pigs' shoulders.
Are any nipples old and leaky? With standard, fixed-nipple waterers, waste tends to be high. You can cut waste 20 percent to 35 percent by replacing old nipples with modern, bowl-type nipple drinkers. Waste also tends to be less with swinging nipple waterers than with the standard, fixed-nipple ones.
So check your waterers. It's worth the time to ensure that your pigs are well watered this summer.
