WHY POULTRY PRODUCERS SHOULD INVEST IN BENEFICIAL BACTERIA TO HELP PROTECT POULTRY GUT HEALTH
FIVE ESSENTIAL FACTS ON THE POULTRY MICROBIOME
A robust gut microbiome is essential to poultry performance, health and productivity1,2.
Gut microbiome functions for chickens include protection against pathogens, nutrient production, and immune system maturation1.
Poor bird gut health may result in lower absorption and utilisation of nutrients and reduced growth1.
Developing a robust gut microbiome early in a bird’s life will benefit its future production2,5.
Larger birds display all the hallmarks of a robust gut microbiome3, demonstrating its value for long-term poultry health and performance.
IMPROVE POULTRY GUT HEALTH
Gut imbalances (otherwise known as dysbiosis) affect the Intestinal Integrity of birds, increasing the risk of poultry gut health issues1.
Many internal and external factors can disrupt a bird's microbiome, including:1
- Nutritional factors
- Pathogenic bacteria
- Early life, before a robust gut microbiome has been established.
- Chronic stress (e.g. heat stress)
- Antibiotic therapy
Read our HTSi annual report for the latest data on Intestinal Integrity trends in the UK broiler industry:
HOW PROBIOTICS CAN IMPROVE THE INTESTINAL INTEGRITY OF CHICKENS
- In commercial conditions, probiotics can positively influence the gut microbiome in birds by colonising the digestive tract and improving the gut environment2,4.
- This process promotes Intestinal Integrity and positively affects performance2.
- Continuous administration of probiotics ensures a constant source of bacteria, to maintain the positive effects of colonisation2.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PROBIOTICS FOR BIRD GUT HEALTH IN COMMERCIAL POULTRY PRODUCTION
- Aruwa CE, et al. (2021) Poultry gut health – microbiome functions, environmental impacts, microbiome engineering and advancements in characterization technologies. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 12:119.
- Bostvironnois, et al. (2023) Supporting normal function of the gastro-intestinal tract with effective probiotics. Poster - International Poultry Scientific Forum, Atlanta I 23-24 January, 2023.
- Lundberg R, et al. (2021) The link between broiler flock heterogeneity and cecal microbiome composition, Animal Microbiome 3:54.
- Konieczka, et al. (2018) Effects of pea extrusion and enzyme and probiotic supplementation on performance, microbiota activity and biofilm formation in the broiler gastrointestinal tract. British Poultry Science, 59:6.
- Chr. Hansen Establishing early microbiome robustness with GALLIPRO 2024.
