Name: Digital video inspection camera
Cost: Starts from $85
Available at Amazon, Hardware stores, manufacturer’s website
Intended use
An inspection camera is a multipurpose device that can be used to monitor inside the drinker lines and water systems in poultry farms. If you are concerned about biofilm in the water line, consider detecting biofilm using sensors as an advanced monitoring system.
How does it work?
To begin, raise the end of the water line. This allows you to insert the camera cable without a great deal of water flowing out but always handy to have a bucket there to catch the water. Insert the camera cable and push it forward to monitor the inside of the water line for any debris, buildup scales, and biofilm.
Using the device
Important note: Before inspecting pipes that may contain an electric charge, have them checked by a qualified electrician.
To use an inspection camera to monitor inside a drinker line or water system, follow the following steps:
- Connect the inspection cable to the device by pushing the cable’s key into the cable connector’s slot.
- Turn the cable connector counterclockwise until the cable and cable connector is securely attached.
- Press the power button to turn the camera on
- To adjust the light, press the left light button either to dim or turn off the light. Press the right light button to turn on the light and increase brightness.
- To flip the image, press the flip image button to flip the image horizontally or vertically.
- When finished, press the power button to turn the camera off, then clean and store it according to the manufacturer’s “Inspection and Maintenance” guide.
- If you encounter any biofilm or debris in the water line, follow the relevant protocols to clean it out. Read our previous article to get an idea of how to disrupt and clean biofilm in water lines.
Mohammad was the PIP team Research Associate (2021-2024) with extensive experience in poultry nutrition. He wrote science articles for newsletters and worked on developing adaptations and recommendations to support the adoption of new managerial tools, products, services, and practices by the poultry industry.
Looking at his poultry industry perspective, Mohammad has been serving the poultry industry through his extensive experience in feed formulation as an animal nutritionist over the past ten years. He was also a university lecturer for 10 years. Mohammad was a member of the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) at the U of A. Mohammad graduated with a Ph.D. degree in Animal Science from the University of Alberta with a Postdoctoral fellowship before moving to his Research Associate position with the PIP team. Serving the poultry industry as an animal nutritionist for more than a decade, Mohammad loves teaching and worked as a university lecturer in Iran and a teaching assistant at the U of A. Mohammad was inspired by Dr. Frank Robinson, practicing the inquiry-based learning method when working as a TA in his “Principles of Animal Agriculture” class. “I have a strong passion on poultry nutrition and have always loved to help poultry producers with optimizing the poultry systems. The challenging part of working with live animals is that you need to be on call even as a nutritionist. However, the joy of seeing healthy animals and help with their welfare overcome the challenging part.”
