ARTICLE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2024 71 perature regulation. Quality water has a positive effect on bird health and yield, including: • Reduced mortality rate • Lower medication cost • Decreased feed conversion ratio • More consistent weight LIMITATIONS OF OTHER WATER SANITIZERS Producers have several options to treat water. Those range from doing nothing to adding chemicals, such as chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide. Chlorine is by far the cheapest, but it has its drawbacks. For example: • Using chlorine typically requires using two metering systems, resulting in higher equipment costs • The liquid barrels containing the chemical are more difficult to handle operationally • Chlorine can require more effort to monitor system accuracy (pH, ORP) • Holding residuals can be a problem as the product weakens • The chemical can be more corrosive than other options Hydrogen peroxide, another frequently used sanitizer, also has limitations, including: • The liquid barrels containing the chemical are more difficult to handle • It is harder to measure residuals • Hydrogen peroxide is corrosive to equipment • The additive is a non-selective pathogen killer • Loses effectiveness quickly • The additive has a narrower pH range, which lowers effectiveness WHY CHLORINE DIOXIDE IS THE RIGHT CHOICE Chlorine dioxide is not the lowest-cost option available, which can limit its appeal as a water sanitizer. It does, however, offer several benefits. The disinfectant has been approved by many food safety regulatory agencies around the world. That approval gives producers the flexibility to use the sanitizer in various ways, such as disinfecting hard surfaces in barns and heat and cooling systems. As a sanitizer, chlorine dioxide over time has evolved into a key tool to increase live performance for the following reasons: • Decreased bacterial load • The sanitizer improves water odor and taste, which encourages birds to drink more • Water consumption has a direct correlation to improved bird body weight, growth and feed conversion • The chemical is an antibiotic-free tool to maintain bird health, which is good for producers operating in markets that are moving toward “No Antibiotics Ever” (NAE) and “No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine” (NAIHM) Where chlorine dioxide also excels is in its efficacy to reduce salmonella contamination. One study4 found that chlorine dioxide, when used in conjunction with ultrasound, was able to inactivate salmonella and E. coli. EFFECTIVENESS OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE Additional research comparing the efficacy of chlorine dioxide to sodium chlorite showed that chlorine dioxide of 1 PPM in water had salmonella growth only to 1.0 x 103 cfu/ml, with a 99.999% reduction in salmonella5. The non-treated control group ranged from 5.86 x 107 cfu/ml to 1.08 x 108 cfu/ml. Here's the bottom line: Chlorine dioxide, which has been called an ideal biocide and oxidizer, has been
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