WINTER BONUS MAGAZINE 2026

Water management in poultry: A key to enhancing Natural Power Danielle van der Merwe – Technical Advisor: Poultry Water is often an overlooked nutrient in poultry production, whereas emphasis is typically put on environmental conditions, feed, lighting, and animal health. Whilemany producers are aware of the importance of supplying water, water management and quality are not a daily focus on the farm. Chickens will consume approximately double the amount of water compared to feed. Water directly affects feed intake, production, and animal health. It is a vital component of many physiological processes such as nutrient digestion and absorption, excretion, metabolic processes, muscle formation, egg formation, and thermoregulation. Good water management and quality play amajor role in both health and nutrition. Efficient production is essential for agriculture, especially in recent times where produce markets are volatile. The De Heus concept of Natural Power emphasises the fact that healthy, “happy” animals will produce more efficiently with lower inputs and associated costs. The key pillars of Natural Power are nutrition, health, and management. If we can provide the right nutrition for the right phase of an animal’s life, keep diseases off the farm through improved biosecurity, improved animal health, and responsible use of antibiotics as well as provide the optimal environment for the animal through good management practices, we will support the animal’s ability to naturally produce well and reduce the reliance on antibiotics, medications, and other costly interventions. Focusing on these pillars will lead to a reduced reliance on intervention strategies with a shift to prevention strategies. Water management is an important tool in boosting Natural Power. It is essential to maintain clean, accessible, and high-quality water – good water management practices can assist in this. Good water management can aid in supporting the bird’s natural ability to produce well, optimising production and performance while improving animal health and welfare. Accessibility and availability First and foremost are water accessibility and availability, whether water is accessible and available to all chickens at all times. A water shortage of 24 hours to 48 hours can result in a 4% loss of production that could last as long as two weeks in some cases. Not only will this affect production, but it will also affect egg and shell quality. Water deprivation results in increased cracks through thinning of shells and can also affect egg size, resulting in smaller eggs. As we know, feed intake and water intake are related; water deprivation can significantly hamper feed conversion ratio (FCR) values and decrease average daily gain, especially in young broilers. When water consumption is uneven within a flock, uniformity could be negatively affected, and production could suffer. Water deprivation may also affect meat quality, leading to increased enzyme levels and a decrease in intermuscular Winter 2026 BONUS www.agribonus.co.za 52