Spring Cleaning: How to Disinfect and Prepare Feeders and Drinkers for Reuse

If you are a gamekeeper or poultry farmer, many of you will be full throttle into breeding and rearing your birds, ready later in the year. It just so happens to coincide with spring, which, for many, brings a flurry of cleaning and clearing thanks to the tradition of spring cleaning. And a spring clean isn’t just for the house. We recommend using this time to thoroughly disinfect and prepare feeders and drinkers for good poultry hygiene.  

You wouldn’t reuse a bottle or bowl after leaving it for a year without giving it a good clean, so why would you subject your game birds to the bacteria, mould or algae that might be growing?  Taking 10 minutes to clean your equipment will result in healthy birds.  

At Collins Nets, we are the largest UK stockist of game-rearing supplies. This includes supplying all disinfectants, cleaners and water sanitisers you need to spring clean your feeders and drinkers ready for breeding and rearing season.  

In this article, we share the steps you should take for a thorough and effective cleaning process to keep your birds happy and healthy.  

Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Feeders and Drinkers 

Giving your equipment a good clean doesn’t need to take long, but it should be thorough so that you can be confident you get rid of any grime buildup that might be harvesting bacteria, mould or algae. This is a pivotal step in poultry hygiene – as we said before, you wouldn’t want to eat or drink off a plate that has been left for a year, so don’t let your birds do it either.  

Recommended Cleaning Products from Collins Nets 

At Collins Nets, we stock a range of sanitisers and disinfectant products to meet your needs.  

Different disinfectants target different bacteria and viruses, so it is important that you find the right one for your concerns.  

Recommended products include:   

• Virkon S Disinfectant – fights over 500 strains of viruses, bacteria and fungi, including Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza, Salmonella and Campylobacter. 

• KC5000 Disinfectant – attracts and traps all dirt, including spores of parasites such as coccidosis. 

• GPC8 Disinfectant – approved for fighting Avian Influenza and other bacteria, viruses and fungi.  

• Virex Disinfectant Powder – effective against major viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens. 

• Virocid Disinfectant – highly concentrated to efficiently kill bacteria, spores, viruses and fungi.  

• Interkokask Disinfectant – great for rearing equipment and fights coccidiocis, bacteria (salmonella), viruses (avian influenza), red mites, worms & more.  

• CID 2000 – Water Sanitiser & Acidifier for Drinker Systems – specialist cleaner for drinking systems and effectively removes dirt.  Cannot be used in flock.

• CID Clean Sanitiser – ideal for sanitising drinking water systems and removes slime, traces of medicaments, vitamins and more.  

• FAM 30 Disinfectant – an approved disinfectant for Foot & Mouth, Swine Vesicular, Avian Influenza, TB and general orders.  

The most popular sanitiser is CID CLEAN; it can be used in flock making it perfect for maintaining clean drinkers.

Best Practices for Keeping Feeders and Drinkers Hygienic 

We don’t need to point out that contaminated equipment can lead to disease outbreaks, poor growth rates and higher mortality. So, following best cleaning practices for drinkers and feeders helps improve poultry hygiene so you rear a group of happy and healthy birds.  

How often should you clean the equipment?   

• Daily checks should be done to remove wet and spoiled feed.  
• Every 2-3 days, you should cleanse the drinkers to prevent biofilm buildup.  
• Weekly cleans should include disinfection to deep clean the equipment.  
• Monthly full sanitation checks should be done to check for wear and tear, cracks and signs of persistent contamination.  

Other tips we recommend to reduce contamination include:  

• Keep equipment off the floor.  
• Use covered feeders. 
• Place them in dry areas. 
• Store feed securely to stop rodents and insect contamination.  
• Regularly check for algae growth.  
• Rotate the placement of equipment in the rearing pen to prevent the buildup of waste in one area.  
• Regularly change the water. 

Prepare Feeders and Drinkers

Cleaning and disinfecting your drinkers and feeders is an incredibly important part of breeding and rearing your game birds and poultry birds because it keeps them healthy and happy.  

While it involves several steps, thorough cleaning doesn’t need to take that long, especially with the right products.  

At Collins Nets, we have been working with poultry farmers and gamekeepers to provide everything they need. This includes a wide range of disinfectants, cleansers and water sanitisers.  

Having been working in the industry for over 30 years, our team are expert and can help you with any questions you might have. Whether you are looking to change products for a more cost-effective solution or to target a particular virus or bacteria, we can help.  

Call us on 01308 485422 or complete our online contact form, and we will get back to you.  

Or, if you know what you are looking for, order it online today!