Clean water. Healthier liver and kidneys. Better shell quality.
Water is a vital part of flock nutrition and is the largest nutrient by weight consumed.
For every 1kg of feed, birds will drink 1.8kg of water. This equates to 3,200 litres of water a day, on a site with 16,000 birds.
Growth, development and egg production rely on it. An egg is 76% CLEAN water. And most of that is from water that hens drink.
The vital role of the kidneys and liver
Egg production relies heavily on healthy kidneys and liver, not least because these organs play key roles in supporting shell quality. Among its many functions, the liver converts Vitamin D3 into its active form, which enables calcium absorption and utilisation – a process that becomes increasingly important as a bird’s age.
How birds keep water clean for eggs
When a hen drinks, her body works to ensure that the water ultimately incorporated into the egg is clean. Several organs contribute to this filtration, particularly the gut, kidneys and liver. Processing and detoxifying water also requires energy that young birds would otherwise use for growth, and older birds would use for egg production.
If birds consume contaminated or poor-quality water, the body must work harder to remove toxins and pathogens.
Over time, this increased workload can contribute to reduced organ efficiency and health.
One of the primary causes of depopulation is declining shell quality, often due to inadequate calcium availability to form a robust shell. To address this and support sustained egg production, birds can be supplemented with products that enhance calcium supply. However, for these supplements to be effective, birds must be able to absorb and mobilise calcium adequately – a process that depends on the active form of vitamin D3 produced by the liver and kidneys. It is therefore critical that healthy liver and kidney function is maintained. If these organs are compromised – for example, due to chronic exposure to poor-quality water – the activation and utilisation of nutrients needed for shell formation may be reduced.
How we can help
There are several effective water hygiene systems and products available, and each site should have a site-specific water hygiene programme.
Our teams can advise what solution and approach will best suit your farm/site.