How two producers solved water issues

Again, this year, we present our annual round-up of water system problems from different areas of Canada and how your fellow producers have solved them. Jumping right in, it was a mineral issue that plagued Astrid Stephenson, owner of Pine Park Farms near Edmonton, before she switched over to a new disinfection system.

Stephenson has three turkey barns, two with their own wells and the largest barn having three wells to draw upon as needed (there were a large number of wells on site when she and her husband bought the farm and several have gone dry in the summers following dry winters, including two of those feeding the large barn). 

The water from each well has slightly different mineral profiles and amounts of minerals because they are at different depths, from 50 ft. to 200 ft. Ingested minerals can have an impact on bird health and performance (magnesium can cause birds to have diarrhea and sulfur can irritate the intestines, for example), but minerals like iron and sulfur can also be a food source within a water system for many types of microbes. All of Stephenson’s wells, no matter the depth, have water with large amounts of manganese. “You can easily see all the dark flakes floating around,” she says.

The previous property owner had used chemical oxidation to disinfect well water, in this case with chlorine, as did Stephenson. But she soon discovered there’s a chemical reaction between chlorine and manganese that results in a black sludge. “I dealt with this for nine years,” she remembers. “My lines were regularly blocked. The water treatment people I spoke to kept suggesting new filter medium and I had to keep having to change the lines. “

Stephenson looked at reverse osmosis for disinfection, but these systems are expensive and involve large amounts of water being discarded, which wasn’t desirable because it’s wasteful and there is also an ongoing threat of dry winters and low subsequent well water levels. Experts also advise avoiding reverse osmosis as a primary treatment method for well water containing high iron and manganese concentrations because the system membrane quickly becomes fouled and must therefore often be replaced.  

Using oxidation media (commonly using manganese greensand or birm) as a water treatment method also reduces manganese, iron and sulfur, and filters manganese at the same time. Air injection (aeration) is another option to target manganese, iron and sulfur, with these minerals oxidized when the water is sent through a pocket of air.

In 2017, Stephenson spoke to a water treatment person new to her area who suggested water disinfection by chemical oxidation using hydrogen peroxide. A second person also suggested it. She looked into it and found there would be no reaction sludge. Up front, there would only be a need to add a couple of inexpensive injection pumps and a descaler to remove manganese and other minerals. 

Once the system was installed, the effects were immediate. “Within a month, my tanks, my pipes, the water was all completely clean of residue,” Stephenson reports. “I backwash once in a while, but I haven’t had to changed filters in six years, where before, it was once a year plus a thorough cleaning. The hydrogen peroxide is more expensive than chlorine but I have much better feed conversion now, and the feed savings more than pay for it. The growth rate is also a little faster. All in all, the cost savings are huge, the water is excellent, and my birds aren’t consuming chlorine.”

Peace of mind with more pressure

Astrid Stephenson’s turkey barn setup delivers hydrogen peroxide into a grey retention tank, then filters through iron filters and a cistern tank before reaching the birds.
Photo: Brian Mykle

Brian Mykle, owner of Mykalb Broilers in Langley, B.C., has two very long barns, which left him with some water pressure issues that needed addressing for several reasons. “I have a one well and one pumping and disinfection system for both barns, but each barn has 16 water lines, each 240 feet long,” he explains. “Water pressure was good all year round except during the summer when the chickens need to drink more. At that time of year, I wasn’t getting enough pressure all along each of the lines.”

In October 2024, Mykle had an additional pump installed in each barn to maintain pressure during peak demand and provide other benefits. The pressure regulators are all computerized and wifi-enabled, so that from anywhere, Mykle can manage the times/dates and durations of the high-pressure individual flushing of each line. Although just installed, Mykle reports the system is working very well. 

“Right now (mid-October), I’m later in the flock cycle, so I’m only flushing the lines in the morning so that they have fresh clean, cool water instead of water that’s been sitting in the lines during the dark period overnight, which could have gotten warm due to barn temperature and could have bacteria,” he explains. “You want to keep that to a minimum. But when the next flock arrives, when they are day-old, the barn temperature is 33°C and so are the lines and the water in them. So, my plan during the first 12 days is to flush the lines six times a day to give them fresh, clean water. I expect that this will help with bacterial infections and mortalities.”

As Canadian Poultry reported in early 2024, analysis at a Canadian broiler farm of high multi-flock chick mortality found bacterial septicemia due to contamination of the water system.

Dr. Gigi Lin, a veterinarian at Canadian Poultry Consultants in Abbotsford, B.C., determined that Pseudomonas was the culprit. 

She cautions that the clinical signs and postmortem lesions found in birds with Pseudomonas infection are very similar to those caused by other bacteria, so it’s critical to perform what’s called a routine bacterial culture to identify what microbes are actually present in a high-mortality situation. Cultures are also a good action to take on a regular basis to detect any low-level microbe issues. 

Mykle notes that with the increased water pressure, he will now not only be able to provide cool and clean water to chicks at the start of the flock cycle and in the morning at all flock stages. During the summer, flocks will receive fresh, cool water throughout the day which will make the birds more comfortable. “They’ll also probably drink more,” he notes.   

Regarding installation, Mykle reports it was straightforward, but says an experienced electrician is a good idea so that the wiring is all fully prepared to proceed quickly between flock cycles. “It’s a day or two depending on the skill and planning of your electrician, the size of your barns and your provincial electrical codes,” says Mykle. “In B.C., conduits are required, so installation with that will take longer than if they aren’t required.”

Although he just had the system installed, he says “I’m very glad I did this upgrade. I expect it will pay for itself within a few years with improved health and growth rate, but you can’t put a price on the peace of mind I have now that the birds are always getting the best water I can give them.” 

The PIP Poultry Water App

In late 2023, we reported on the PIP (Poultry Innovation Partnership) Poultry Water App. It’s a one-time low-cost tool that systematically way to identify and address specific types of water challenges on any individual farm. 

The first part consists of 63 multiple choice questions in five sections that cover observational, mineral and microbiological test results, plus on-farm water testing procedures and water system maintenance. Based on answers provided, the app generates recommendations for each section, including solutions and actions as needed.

The second part contains resources on water quality that include video protocols on water sampling, microbial treatment and water sanitation, waterline cleaning during and between flocks, biofilm cleaning, drinking water vaccination, well shock chlorination and on-farm water test tools.

“Sales are steady, and all the feedback we’ve received indicates that poultry producers are finding it easy to use, and helpful in making water system decisions,” says Brenda Reimer, PIP knowledge mobilization specialist. “We also continue to get sales from around the world. We may consider putting into different languages should there be demand.”