Inside the waterlines: Fixing hidden performance robbers in swine barns

Think water is the simplest input on a swine farm? We open the waterlines and find a living system that can quietly limit growth, blunt medications, and raise mortality if it goes unmanaged. With Dr. Gabi Doughan from Iowa State University, we connect barn-floor realities to lab-backed strategies that turn “clean enough” water into a performance advantage.

We walk through a practical roadmap for testing what truly matters at the source and the drinker: pH and hardness that drive mineral scale, trace minerals that affect palatability and toxicity, and TDS, sulfates, and nitrates that can tip pigs into gut upsets. Just as important, we spotlight the biological side—coliforms, E. coli, and biofilms—that hides in hoses and nipples even when the well looks fine. Dr. Doughan explains how biofilms shelter microbes, carry resistance genes, and inactivate treatments, making water-administered medications unreliable if the system isn’t controlled.

From there, we get tactical. You’ll hear how to build a testing plan across the line, choose compatible chemistries for descaling and biofilm penetration, and set a continuous disinfection regimen that holds gains between periodic shocks. We discuss measurable outcomes producers are seeing—improved average daily gain, stronger feed efficiency, and meaningful drops in mortality—and why verifying dose at the end-of-line is essential when delivering medications through water. The result is a clear, repeatable framework that aligns animal health, antimicrobial stewardship, and operational efficiency.

If you care about better growth and fewer surprises, this conversation will help you turn water into a managed asset instead of a guess. Follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a review with one change you’ll make to your water program today.