Excellent livestock production starts in the gut. An animal’s feed efficiency, growth rate and immune system all depend on the health and performance of the animal’s gut. Natural solutions to raising livestock for food production are in great demand, as consumers increasingly prefer food produced without growth-promoting antibiotics. Many producers in Southeast Asia have reduced or eliminated growth-promoting antibiotics from bird diets in response to these consumer preferences.
While there is more than one way to raise healthy antibiotic-free broilers, a recent article in Asian Agribiz shows Varium, a natural feed additive from Amlan International, consistently performs as well as or better than other strategies.
Why? It Protects the Intestinal Barrier
In the gastrointestinal tract, Varium protects the intestinal barrier, supports the microbiota in the gut and enables the immune system to function properly. Substantial disease challenges from pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. all start in the gut. Creating a healthy gastrointestinal tract means birds can process feed efficiently and are less susceptible to disease.
Trial data in the article shows Varium’s performance in commercial trials throughout Southeast Asia. The product works synergistically to support immune health, intestinal performance and feed efficiency and improve total flock performance.
When the data is averaged across all eight trials, broilers raised in antibiotic-free production systems had similar weight gains regardless of diet fed. However, broilers fed the diet supplemented with Varium were 3.7 points more feed efficient and experienced a lower mortality rate.
Click here to read the entire article and view the research data.
