Opportunities of large-scale poultry farming without antibiotics, with special regard to the use of pre- and probiotics Part 1

Background: The number of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains is constantly rising. A remarkable number of resistant bacteria found in humans can be originated from food sources. Excessive and improper use of antibiotics exerts a selective pressure on the gut microbiota of poultry, contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. In addition, consumers require decreased use of antibiotics during the brooding period, exerting high pressure on food industry. Therefore, the alternative feed supplements have growing importance. In this article, the authors summarize possibilities and importance of antibiotic-free broiler production with special regard to pre- and probiotics according to literature data and their experiences. Objectives: The authors investigated the effect of a natural feed supplement on the health status and performance of broiler chickens. The impact of the pre- and probiotics containing PoultryStar (R) was analysed in a feeding study, conducted in large scale poultry production environment. Materials and Methods: The feed supplement's performance enhancing effect was investigated in a feeding study. Diet of the control group consisted of commercial broiler feed without supplementation, while the experimental group had the same diet, supplemented with PoultryStar (R). Mortality, daily weight gain, feed intake, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) of the groups was recorded. Results and Discussion: Feed supplementation with Poultry Star (R) resulted in a tendency (p = 0.0625) of lowering mortality rate in broiler chickens, but there were no significant differences between daily weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversation ratio of the groups. Based on the results, the tested product could be effective in improving health status and performance of broiler chickens, however several factors can influence its impact.