Testimonial Henri van Ramshorst – Poultry Farmer from Nijkerk

“The chickens are visibly doing better and your hands are free.”

Just outside Nijkerk, Henri van Ramshorst and his brothers run a modern poultry farm together. The company was founded in 1958 by their parents and started out as a mixed farm. Nowadays, everything revolves around poultry. Henri has been working there since he was sixteen and now, together with his brother Evert, manages the original location where 58,000 free-range hens roam around. His eldest brother Bert and his son Kilian run the second site that was added later.

Delivering quality – from barn to consumer

At the Van Ramshorst family poultry farm, a large part of the eggs are sold locally. “About thirty percent of our eggs we sell ourselves,” Henri explains. “We do that through farm gate sales, but also via vending machines, gyms, restaurants and nursing homes.” That adds up to around 70,000 to 80,000 eggs per week that they market directly.

Previous drinking water approach no longer worked

For years, Henri used hydrogen peroxide to keep the number of germs in the drinking water system under control. Initially, it worked, but over time the effect wore off. Henri recalls: “In mid-2024 we faced a severe outbreak of Gallibacterium, resulting in significant losses.” Something had to change.

After contacting Watter, a trial period was started. “I really thought that option was great,” Henri says. “You’re not tied to it right away; you can try it out and even call another poultry farmer who is already using it. That really lowers the threshold.”

Shortly after installation, Van Ramshorst started with a new flock. The bacteria were still detectable, albeit in small numbers, but the high mortality was gone. The veterinarian was also very positive, based on his experiences with other poultry farms. “That was really a turning point for us, that this truly worked. That’s when we decided to buy,” Henri explains.

Excellent start: fewer losses and lower costs

Since the installation of the Watter system, Henri has seen a clear improvement during the start-up phase. “Normally, you always have losses in the first week. But this time we went from 70–80 per week down to about 20. That’s exceptionally low for this barn.” Also, the fact that no other additives are needed anymore saves a lot of money. “A small can of acid easily costs a hundred euros. And you constantly have to refill and monitor it. Now, that’s no longer necessary,” Van Ramshorst explains.

It also brings peace of mind to daily operations: “Your hands are free. You know the system is running, that the water is under control and that you don’t have to keep adjusting things.”

Try it yourself?

Henri has clear advice: “We have seen the difference it makes when you properly manage the water.” Would you also like to see with your own eyes what microbiologically clean drinking water can mean for your chickens? Then request a trial period.