Technical notes: Effect of dispenser on water intake of pigs at weaning

Groups of 5 pigs were offered one of four water dispenser options at weanin g (a nipple, a float-controlled bowl with the contents replaced daily with fresh water a float-controlled bowl that was not cleaned, two dispensers, a nipple and a float-controlled bowl cleaned daily). The experiment, which c onsisted of 18 replicates of 20 pigs each, measured group water and feed in take and bodyweight change each day for four days. Piglets were accustomed to the presence of a bowl water dispenser before weaning. Water dispenser t reatment had no significant effect on feed intake (P = 0.33) or bodyweight (P = 0.19) but mean water intake was significantly affected (P < 0.001) as was the interaction with Days (P < 0.001). During Day I, pigs consumed sign ificantly less from the nipple (P < 0.05) but by Day 4, water intake from t he nipple was not significantly different from the two-dispenser option, th e option with the highest intake. After Day I, water intake from the unclea ned bowl remained the lowest of the four options and by Day 4 it fell signi ficantly below the other options (P < 0.05). Spillage was significantly (P < 0.05) higher from nipples compared to bowls on Days 2, 3, and 4. The resu lts generally favored the use of a nipple water dispenser over afloat-contr olled water bowl for four-week weaned pigs, but there may be added costs in water and waste handling with nipples.