Substantiation of the design of a drip drinker with a ball valve for watering laying hens

Abstract

The main disadvantages of drip-type nipple drinkers used on large poultry farms and factories cage management are described. To eliminate the revealed disadvantages of nipple drinkers, a drinker for birds containing a two-valve ball-type system was developed. The advantages of the developed drinker are pointed out and the substantiation of its design is presented for satisfying the physiological needs of laying hens for water, operational reliability, low water consumption and hygiene in use. Analytical studies of the design of this drinker showed that a drip drinker with a valve outlet diameter d₁ = 5.5 mm ensured sufficient water consumption by laying hens only at a pressure p in the water supply system of 0.08 bar and higher, while at lower pressures (p = 0.02…0.06 bar) its performance was insufficient. A drinker with a valve outlet diameter d₁ of 6.4 mm guaranteed the daily satisfaction of laying hen water requirements at a pressure p in the range of 0.04…0.06 bar. A drinker with a valve outlet diameter d₁ of 7.5 mm ensured the daily water consumption of laying hens at a pressure p from 0.02 to 0.4 bar, however, at a pressure p in the range of 0.06…0.08 bar, a significant excess of water was observed. The optimal option for watering laying hens under cage management on a poultry farm which meets their physiological requirements for water, is reliable in operation, has low water consumption and is hygienic in use, is a drip drinker with a valve seat outlet diameter of d₁ = 6.4 mm.