Mary Allen
Round or nipple drinker? Duck keepers often ask this question. After all, they keep birds for whom water is very important in all aspects of daily life. Therefore, the water dishes should be chosen with care.
Ducks live primarily on and in water. In this way, it is easy for them to get their liquid needs and fertilization also takes place there. A pedal stroke on the mainland is often not very successful. The situation is different if the animals are kept in a barn and they are only offered drinking water via nipple drinkers, as is the case with chickens. Although the physical water requirement can be met in this way, this type of water intake does not correspond to their natural well-being.
Especially since, in addition to covering the liquid requirement, the cleaning of the beak, the nostrils, and the eyes with their surrounding plumage must also be taken into account. The entire plumage is also regularly cared for by the animals with plenty of water, which is taken up with the help of the beak. Therefore, thoroughbred ducks that are offered sufficient swimming opportunities can usually be brought to the exhibition without major preparations.
For the experimental design of a study, all groups of ducks were kept free installs with straw bedding. Open round drinking troughs were available to them, which were suspended from the continuous water pipes. They had a diameter of 45.3 centimeters and were connected to a system that ensured a regular flow of water when needed so that the contents of these troughs always reached a water level of eight to ten centimeters. Groups of ducks, which only had the usual nipple drinkers at their disposal, served as controls. The behavior of the animals could be observed and assessed through regular checks and additional video recordings.
Ducks Prefer to Drink from Round Drinkers
In addition, a larger number of animals from both groups were examined individually. Particular importance was attached to the quality of the plumage, but also to changes in the area of the nostrils, the eyelids, and any hardening of the skins of the toes. Furthermore, the occurrence of ammonia and dust was registered. The video recordings also made it possible to check the type of water intake. Furthermore, the bacterial content of the litter and the drinking water was checked, in particular the content of enterobacteria (intestinal germs).
The result was clear: the ducks preferred open round drinking troughs. They only accepted the nipple drinkers in emergencies. This is because the animals can immerse their heads completely in the round drinkers to take in the required amount of water and to clean the rims of their eyes and nostrils.
But the plumage can also be cleaned better this way. The water intake from the round drinkers was also more frequent than when using the nipple drinkers. The round drinkers obviously serve the well-being of the ducks. When checking the outer skin on the feet, no significant difference could be detected. However, differences were recognizable when the litter was wetter and when the feed lacked the required biotin (also known as vitamin B8 or skin protection vitamin). However, further investigations are necessary here.
When examining the litter and other stable surroundings with regard to the germ content, the nipple drinkers were superior to the open round drinkers. – At least if the design ensures that not too much water gets into the litter. But it must still be pointed out that optimal duck husbandry is only possible if the animals have open, preferably flowing water at their disposal. Here, the purebred duck breeder has an advantage who has a suitable system that corresponds to the number of animals kept.