Good drinking water without messing around
At the breeding farm with 1,350 sows, pig farmer Herrald Klaassen in Coevorden, Drenthe, has his hands full. He prefers to focus on his pigs and tries to make everything around them run as efficiently as possible. This also applies to the water supply.
“Good drinking water is an essential part of healthy nutrition and animal welfare,” says Klaassen. "But that's easier said than done. Clean water at the entrance of the barn does not always mean that the animals also get to drink it. Over the years we have experienced that things can go quickly wrong with the water quality. This mainly happens in the barn. The water pipes in the barn are very sensitive to contamination and that can provide a breeding ground for bacteria, fungi, viruses and yeasts."
Klaassen says that he uses his own source for drinking water supply. "The well water we pump contains a lot of iron. A de-iron removal installation removes most of it. However, the water going to the barns is still relatively rich in iron. That increases the chance of biofilm formation in the pipes." The pig farmer used various methods in the past to clean and maintain the water pipes in the barns. "Not only did it require a lot of work and attention, but those products were also quite expensive. A canister empties quickly when you have many water pipes to keep clean."
Watter installation
For the past four years, Klaassen has been approaching it differently. He expanded the drinking water system on his farm with a Watter system. "Essentially, a disinfectant is continuously added to the water. This means that the pigs always have access to clean drinking water. Unwanted germs and biofilm don't get a chance to develop in the pipes." Klaassen did not rush into the matter. "We like to work based on facts. That is why we had water samples examined several times after the Watter system was put into use. The results consistently show that this approach to disinfecting the water works well."
Another major advantage of the Watter installation, according to Klaassen, is its ease of use. "The installation does its job without us having to worry about it. All we have to do is add some salt to the installation every now and then. The Watter machine makes disinfectant on site from electricity, salt and water." At the Drenthe pig farmer's company, Watter ensures continuity when it comes to drinking water quality. "In the past, when I tried to keep the water pipes clean with all kinds of means, that was not the case. It often happened that the stuff ran out, causing the quality of the water to deteriorate."
Financially beneficial
Klaassen is now also better off financially. "Of course you have to deal with the investment in the machine, but the recurring costs of purchasing expensive resources have disappeared. This is a lot cheaper in the longer term." It is clear to the pig farmer that the better water quality has a positive effect on the technical results, although according to him this cannot be substantiated in figures. "For our farm, it's crucial that the sows drink water willingly. That is essential for good milk production and thereby for well-growing piglets. Moreover, drinking water must be free of unwanted substances. All the energy a pig needs to neutralize those substances could be better used for growth. With the Watter installation, we can offer our pigs tasty and clean water."