A review of the role of five kinds of alternatives to in-feed antibiotics in broiler production

Abstract

In view of severe restriction of total ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and therapeutic
agents in poultry industry, the search for alternatives to replace antibiotics has gained increasing
interest in animal nutrition. Gut micro flora appears to be the target for IFAs and alternatives to exert
health benefits and some growth-promoting effects. Subsequent to banning of use of antibiotics as
growth promoter sin poultry nutrition, numerous studies turned to finding of alternative solutions, that
is, other natural substances, which would have positive effect on chicken growth and feed conversion.
Today, several groups of these additives are in use and most often probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotic,
acidifiers and phytobiotics additives. Considering that each of the stated groups has its own
specificities, the objective of this work was to present main mechanism of their action and to present
their effect on production results in fattening of broiler chickens through review of research published
in this field.