The article presents the results of the study of the physical and chemical parameters of water for different methods of feeding the commercial young blue fox. The research was carried out at a private brewery in the Khmelnytskyi Ds. on 500 moths of the main herd. Spraying the youngsters of the experimental group was carried out in a traditional way – fom combined drinking water, distribution of water was carried out daily manually. Animals of the experimental group were injected using an automated watering system. Water samples were taken from: a water pipe, from combined drinking water for an hour and 12 hours after hand delivery – in the control group, from self-steering racks for maintenance of fur animals – in the experimental group. An analysis of the dynamics of physical and chemical parameters of water (odor, color, turbidity, rigidity, active acidity, dry residue and chlorides) was carried out for different methods of watering, and compliance with their current norms for drinking water for farm animals was established. In the course of experimental studies, there were significant differences in the organoleptic parameters and water properties in the control group as compared to water samples. Thus, for manual distribution of water for 12 hour there was a deterioration of odor on 1.1 points, increase turbidity almost twice, decrease in acidity – by 1.06 units. The indicated indicators exceeded the maximum permissible norms. The reasons for violations of the quality of drinking water in the traditional way of drinking were: contact with feed mixes in combined drillers, the effect of abiotic and biotic factors, staining residues. In samples of water in the experimental group there were no significant deviations of physical and chemical indices: they were within the limits of permissible norms. Isolation of drinking water from the environment, dosing at the need of the animal proved to be the main advantages of the atomized method of drinking fur-bearing animals, which gives grounds to recommend it for introduction into production. Further scientific research will focus on the study of the microbiological characteristics of water for different ways of drinking fur-bearing animals and, in fact, blue fox. In addition, interesting from a practical point of view can be the study of productive indicators of commodity young animals of fur animals with different methods of watering. It should take into account not only the dynamics of animal growth, the quality of fur, the level of preservation, but also production costs, including changes in the structure of the cost of fur.
ASSESSMENT OF DRINKING WATER QUALITY BY PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF A WATER SOURCE
