Bans on the use of in-feed antibiotics in poultry production in Europe and elsewhere have led to many initiatives to find suitable alternatives. In India, several probiotic trails have shown promising results.

The Bacillus spores are emerging as a leading class of probiotics (direct-fed microbials) for poultry. When added to poultry diets, potential benefits include faster growth rate, lower feed conversion ratio, reduced pathogen loads, less nitrogen...

Currently nutritionists are paying more attention to the value and bioavailability of trace minerals in humans and animal rations. One of the often-undervalued nutrients is selenium, especially since it is known that many parts of the world suff...

Recent experiments show that poultry feeds containing organic acids and medium-chain fatty acids can have anti-clostridium effects in broiler chickens, which may help to control Necrotic Enteritis .

Adding prebiotics such as inulin and oligofructose to poultry diets improves mineral absorption in layers, resulting in benefits including improved eggshell strength and lower mortality rates, amongst others.

Nutribiotics are proteins and fats, which play an important role in replacing antibiotics in animal feeds. These nutrients have a beneficial effect on the commensal microflora in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers.

With the continuous genetic improvement of broilers, layers and breeders, productivity has improved to a great extent in India in the last 15 years. Along with the genetic development, the nutritional requirements of the birds also have undergon...

From January 2006 antibiotic growth promoters will be banned in the EU. Cases of antibiotic resistance in humans have frightened consumers and forced the livestock industry to change production practices. This affects poultry growers not only in...

Turkeys are known to respond to various treatments differently than chickens. Since production without antibiotic growth enhancers is being encouraged and several antibiotics have been banned from use in poultry, the industry is searching for al...