The moisture content in feed is closely related to its nutritional value and storage. Feed with high water content contains less dry matter per unit weight and relatively less nutrients, so its nutritional value is also low, and it is easy to rot and deteriorate, which is not conducive to storage and transportation. Feed suitable for storage requires water content below 14%.
The water content in chicken is between 50% and 60%, which is mainly distributed in body fluids (such as blood and lymph), muscles and other tissues.
Water is a necessary nutrient for the growth and laying of chickens, and it plays a special role in the normal substance metabolism of chickens. It is a solvent for various nutrients, and the digestion and absorption of various nutrients in chickens, the discharge of metabolic wastes, blood circulation and body temperature regulation are all inseparable from water. If drinking water is insufficient, the digestibility of feed and the laying rate of chickens will decrease, which will seriously affect the health of chickens and even lead to death. Experiments show that laying hens can't drink water for 24 hours, which can reduce the laying rate by 30% and take 25 ~ 30 days to return to normal. If chicks 10 ~ 12 hours don't drink water, their food intake will decrease and their weight gain will be affected.
Chickens showed obvious circulatory disorder after water shortage. Chickens need water more than food, and can live 10 days or longer after fasting. However, if the water shortage time is too long, the chickens will lose 10% water, which will cause metabolic disorder. If the water loss reaches 20%, it will threaten the life of the chicken and make it die. Especially in high temperature environment, the consequences are more serious. Therefore, in chicken production, chickens must be allowed to drink freely, and the drinking water must be sufficient, clean and hygienic.
The water consumption of chickens varies with season, age and laying level. Generally, each chicken drinks 150 ~ 250g of water every day. When the temperature is high and the egg laying rate is high, the water consumption increases, and when food is restricted, the water consumption also increases. Generally speaking, adult chickens drink about 1.6 times of their food intake, and chicks account for a larger proportion.
Among environmental factors, temperature has the greatest influence on drinking water. When the temperature is higher than 20℃, the amount of drinking water begins to increase. At 35℃, the amount of drinking water is about 1.5 times of that at 20℃, but it doesn't change much at 0 ~ 20℃.