Name: Water ORP and pH meter
Cost: around $150
Intended use
Water ORP and pH meter is used to measure water oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and pH. The intended use of the device is to
- measure water ORP
- measure water pH
- ensure that water has optimum sanitizing value and quality for the birds
- identifying water supplies that do not have an adequate chlorine residual
- adjusting the residual without overusing chlorine
How does it work?
The ORP and pH meter consists of electrodes that are used as a probe or sensor to measure the redox potential and pH of water. Adding oxidizing agents (e.g. chlorine) to water increases ORP reading.
Standard ORP and pH measures for poultry water
- ORP > 650 mV (acceptable)
- ORP = 700 to 750 mV (most desirable)
- Lower values of ORP (e.g., 250 mV) represents a heavy organic load or the presence of reducing agents such as ferrous iron (Fe2+), manganese (Mn2+), bisulfide (HS-), and sulfite.
- The most effective range of pH for water sanitizers is between 5.5 to 7.
Using the device
To use the ORP and pH meter, take the electrode cap off and turn the device on. Insert the electrodes in the water sample and gently stir. Once the measurement reading stabilizes, read the measurement for both ORP and pH.
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.”
