Better eggshell quality with a gut acidifier

摘要

Because of their pH-reducing and antimicrobial effects, gut acidifiers appear to offer promise as substitutes for antimicrobial growth promoters where the use of the latter is banned or severely restricted. In a recent case study, the use of a gut acidifier improved eggshell quality in a broiler breeder flock. Antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have been used for the past five decades to improve the performance of the poultry. Sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics in poultry feed have increased feed efficiency and growth (table 1). The AGPs have been under scrutiny for many years and have been removed from the market by the regulatory authorities in many countries. The usefulness of AGPs has seldom been contested but they are similar to antibiotics used in human medicine and the possibility has been raised that they may contribute to the pool of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.