From source to house: unraveling the seasonal effect of water distribution system on drinking water quality of poultry farms under Egyptian environmental condition

Improvements in drinking water quality (DWQ) can lead, according to some estimates, to a 10% reduction of the world’s disease load. The drinking water distribution system (DWDS) plays a crucial role in influencing DWQ and can contribute to the emergence of poultry-related epidemics. This study aims to monitor the variations in DWQ throughout the seasons within the DWDS of Egyptian poultry farms experiencing epidemics. The study assessed DWQ at four different points along the DWDS, including the water source (WS), water tank (WT), broiler drinker (BD), and layer drinker (LD), across 86 farms. Statistical analysis was employed to establish correlations between DWQ and the sampling points within the DWDS, as well as between water temperature (Tw.C°), ambient temperature (Ta.C°), and microbial DWQ. The survey revealed significant differences between Tw.C° and Ta.C°, with notable effect sizes ( d = 0.89–1). Additionally, the results revealed significant differences in physicochemical DWQ between WS and house drinkers (HD), with medium to large effect sizes ( d = 0.56–0.85). Furthermore, significant differences were identified in microbial DWQ between winter and summer, with a small to large effect size ( d = 0.40–0.87). Notably, we recorded significant differences in microbial DWQ between WS and WT, with a small to medium effect size ( d = 0.40–0.61), and between WT and BD, with a small to medium effect size ( d = 0.48–0.53). Additionally, we found significant differences in microbial DWQ between WS and LD, with a medium effect size ( d = 0.59–0.68). In conclusion, Tw.C° is influenced by seasonal variations in Ta.C°. While the physicochemical DWQ was unaffected by seasonal temperature variations, it was significantly impacted by the DWDS from WS to HD. In contrast, the microbial DWQ was strongly influenced by both seasonal temperature changes and DWDS.