Brooding Vs. Fattening: Tips for Adjusting The Height And Controlling The Flow of Nipple Drinkers

In livestock and poultry farming, nipple drinkers are essential drinking equipment, and their effectiveness directly impacts their growth, development, and profitability.

Livestock and poultry at different growth stages have significantly different requirements for nipple drinker height and water flow, especially during the critical brooding and fattening periods. Scientifically adjusting the height of nipple drinkers and precisely controlling the flow are crucial for ensuring healthy growth.

1. Brooding: Adapting nipple drinkers to the physiological characteristics of young livestock and poultry

1.1 Brooding livestock and poultry are small and less active, placing extremely high demands on nipple drinkers. During this period, nipple drinkers should be positioned 2-3 cm above the heads of young livestock and poultry, ensuring they can reach the trigger lever by simply raising their heads. This avoids difficulty drinking due to the height being too high, or contamination due to the height being too low.

1.2 During the brooding period, livestock and poultry drink less water but drink more frequently. Therefore, the flow rate of nipple drinkers should be adjusted to 50-80 ml per hour, with each triggering the release of water to form fine droplets. This not only meets the immediate drinking needs of young livestock and poultry, but also prevents excessive water from soaking their fur and causing colds.

1.3 Daily check the height of nipple drinkers. Adjust them 1-2 times per week as the chicks age to ensure the nipple drinkers consistently align with their growth rhythms. Additionally, during the brooding period, the nipple drinker outlets should be cleaned regularly to prevent impurities from clogging the water flow. This ensures that each nipple drinker is properly supplying water and prevents growth retardation caused by insufficient water.

2. Fattening Period: Meet the Growth Needs of Livestock and Poultry and Optimize the Settings of Nipple Drinkers

2.1 During the fattening period, livestock and poultry grow rapidly in size, and their water intake and drinking rate increase significantly. Therefore, the height and flow rate of nipple drinkers need to be adjusted promptly. During this period, the height of the nipple drinker should be adjusted to shoulder height. This allows standing animals to drink easily without having to raise or lower their heads excessively, reducing limb fatigue.

2.2 Regarding flow rate, nipple drinkers should be adjusted to 150-200 ml per hour to ensure adequate water intake within a short period of time. Especially during high temperatures in summer, the flow rate can be appropriately increased to help cool down animals.

2.3 During the fattening period, livestock and poultry are active and can easily bump into nipple drinkers, causing them to shift in height. Daily inspections and calibration of nipple drinkers are necessary, as well as the seals to prevent leaks that could cause dampness in the pen and disease. Furthermore, the number of nipple drinkers can be appropriately increased based on the size of the flock to ensure that each animal has convenient access to a nipple drinker and avoid competition for water that affects growth uniformity.

3. Common Management: Key Points for Ensuring Stable Operation of Nipple Drinkers

3.1 Regular maintenance of nipple drinkers is crucial, both during the brooding and fattening periods. The valve core and filter of the nipple drinker should be removed and cleaned weekly to remove scale and impurities and ensure smooth water flow. The nipple drinker pipe pressure should be checked monthly to ensure stable pressure and avoid excessive or insufficient pressure affecting the water output of the nipple drinker.

3.2 Furthermore, nipple drinker parameters should be flexibly adjusted based on the breed and growth characteristics of the livestock and poultry being farmed. For example, broilers and laying hens have different flow requirements for nipple drinkers during the fattening period, requiring targeted settings.

3.3 Furthermore, operators must receive professional training and master nipple drinker adjustment and troubleshooting techniques to ensure timely resolution of leaks, blockages, and other issues. This maximizes the role of nipple drinkers in livestock production, provides high-quality drinking water for livestock and poultry growth, and helps improve the economic efficiency of farming enterprises.