ARS | Publication request: POULTRY PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: February 20, 2006
Publication Date: March 15, 2006
Citation: Huff, G.R., Huff, W.E., Rath, N.C. 2006. Poultry production without the use of antibiotics. In: Proceedings of the Louisiana Poultry Seminar, March 14-15, 2006, Bossier City, Louisiana. p. 34-40.

Technical Abstract: Regulatory pressures to limit antibiotic use in livestock and recent international marketing agreements that prohibit treating poultry with antibiotics have limited the disease-fighting tools available to poultry and livestock producers, particularly in Europe. There is a need to evaluate potential antibiotic alternatives to improve disease resistance in high intensity food animal production. Nutritional approaches to counteract the debilitating effects of stress and infection may provide producers with useful alternatives to antibiotics. Improving the disease resistance of animals grown without antibiotics can benefit the animals’ health, potentially increasing production efficiency and food safety. Improving disease resistance in food animals, particularly in the absence of antibiotic treatment, is a key strategy in the effort to increase food safety. This review discusses ARS research on the efficacy of several antibiotic alternatives, including vitamin E, vitamin D3, and yeast products to protect against production losses caused by respiratory challenge with Escherichia coli.