Water Requirements: Cleaning and Maintenance Routines

Garth Pig Stockmanship Standards

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Water Requirements:
Cleaning & Maintenance Routines

Daily Maintenance

All drinkers are to be checked daily

Recommended Flow Rates:

Nipple and Bite Drinkers should be:

If any drinker fails to function as above, the drinker must be fixed immediately

Number of drinkers:

Minimum of two drinking points per group of pigs
There should be one nipple or bite drinker for every 10 pigs
For each trough drinker
- 300mm (12") per 40 pigs of 15 kg
- 300mm (12") per 30 pigs of 35 kg
- 300mm (12") per 25 pigs of 90 kg
For each bowl drinker up to 16 finishing pigs
One turkey drinker to 40 weaners

Cleaning

Troughs and bowls should be thoroughly cleaned between each batch of pigs.

Header tanks should always have covers

Other drinkers at least twice a year. All in / all out must also include the water supply

Tie up the ball cock in the header tank

Remove the drinker furthest from the header tank and drain the system

Remove each drinker and thoroughly clean and ensure they are functional

If necessary pressure wash inside the pipe line to move sediment

Thoroughly clean the inside of the header tank

Re-fit all drinkers

Add a suitable disinfectant to the header tank

Restore the water supply and leave for 10 minutes

Re-drain the system and restore the water supply

Ensure adequate water flows from each of the drinkers

Turkey Drinker

Clean out daily, brush plastic surface with weak iodine solution
Clean thoroughly and disinfect between batches

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Extracted from Garth Pig Stockmanship Standards*
written by Dr John Carr.

You can buy this book HERE
*Published by 5M Enterprises Limited