special edition: pig and poultry gut health
Feed additives and challenge trails
Following the increasing interest to raise livestock without the use of antibiotics, several feed additives have been evaluated for the role they could play in protecting or supporting animals through a period of disease.
One such trial provided an essential-oil based feed additive to chickens facing a necrotic enteritis challenge. The additive included a blend of thymol and carvacrol and was found to reduce the presence of gut lesions following the disease.
Another research team looked to direct-fed microbials to support birds through a disease challenge. Birds receiving the feed additive were found to have reduced gut lesions compared to control group birds facing the same experience.