Ask any veterinarian of feed specialist what the #1 nutrient is, and you may get a variety of answers. However, on a pound per pound basis, livestock and poultry will consume over twice as much water as they will any other substance. Water is critical for any animal to maintain good health, but unfortunately for the producer, it is often overlooked when production problems arise.
Water systems can become contaminated either from groundwater sources or from the environment in the barn. It is possible for coliform bacteria to enter a well due to poor construction, shallowness of the well, or abandoned wells in the area. However, the barn environment is by far the biggest threat to bacterial contamination. Coliform bacteria are easily conveyed through the drinking water system by the animals’ daily activities. In swine, salmonella and dysentery are common results of water-born bacteria. In poultry, bordetellosis, coryza, and blue comb are a few examples of diseases that are spread through the water system.
The MARK 3 Dry Pellet Chlorinator is most often mounted directly on the well and drops a chlorine pellet down the shaft into the well water. It is wired into the pump’s electrical circuit and runs only when the pump is running, metering chlorine in proportion to water usage. A timer mechanism allows for variation in pump size and water quality. As the pellets sink to the bottom of the well and dissolve, they perform 2 important functions: sanitation & oxidation. This is what enables chlorine to treat some common well water contaminants:
