The Farmyard Is Changing.
Are Your Feed Additives Keeping Up?
You can’t walk into a poultry business today and not see significant differences. The high-quality bags of feeds are definitely different from what they were in the past; they have to be. They are also labeled differently than they used to be. The birds are also produced at an accelerating rate, with no antibiotics added!
This change is about more than just making people feel good. It is about science as well as economics, and is a response to one of the greatest threats to food systems around the world today: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
A Crisis Hidden in the Feed Bag
For many decades, the sub-therapeutic dosage of antibiotics in the United States and other countries has been widely known as a method used to promote growth, keep infection rates down, and because of their low cost. However, these practices contributed toward the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms, which pose a threat to the overall world health security. The consequences of these practices are now coming to light.
By the year 2030 it is expected that worldwide use of antibiotics for livestock will be on the increase. The World Health Organization has classified antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the ten greatest threats to global public health. In the last six years, worldwide consumer purchases of antibiotic-free poultry have grown by an average of 7-11 percent per year. Consumers are paying a premium for clean, healthy poultry through their buying decisions.
In 2006, the European Union implemented a ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters and many other nations (such as the United States, China, Thailand, and others) have followed suit with different degrees of regulations. These regulations have led to an increase in the challenges presented to poultry from enteric pathogens during the first few weeks after hatch. This has resulted in significant economic impact for the poultry industry. The need for a replacement product has been met by nature itself.
“Natural feed additives can really help poultry farmers and the research is backing this up at scale.”
~ Clemson University, 2026
Meet the Naturals: What’s Actually Working
Several bioactive properties associated with polyphenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and essential oils derived from plants may help to enhance the composition of the gut microbiome as well as the function of the immune system and increase nutrient absorption mimicking the effects of antibiotics, however without the problems of drug resistance. The following comparison represents some of the leading contenders:
Oregano & Thyme Essential Oils: Essential oils of oregano & thyme contain carvacrol and thymol, which kill and disrupt the membranes of many pathogens but not most beneficial bacteria. They are effective against Salmonella, E. coli, C. perfringens, and Campylobacter.
Probiotics & Direct-Fed Microbials: Lactobacillus, Bacillus subtilis, and Saccharomyces strains establish in the GI tract, displace pathogenic bacteria, and improve the metabolism of nutrients.
Organic Acids: When fed to broilers, formic, propionic, and butyric acid will decrease the pH of the GI tract, suppress the growth of pathogens, and help maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier.
Curcumin & Black Cumin: They’re rich in thymoquinone and curcuminoids, these reduce gut inflammation, support mucosal healing, and enhance intestinal morphology.
The Gut Is the Battlefield
Natural feed additives are compelling for a number of reasons. In particular, essential oil-based herbs such as oregano, cinnamon, thyme and rosemary contain active ingredients like thymol, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde and linalool. These stimulate the growth of the beneficial gut microbiota found in chickens (e.g., Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) and improve their intestinal morphology through increased villus height and enzyme secretion.
As villi grow taller, chickens will have more surface area on which to absorb nutrients. Increased enzyme activity improves protein and carbohydrate digestion. Together these outcomes will allow the birds to more efficiently convert the feed they consume into body weight, on par and in some cases above the level of efficiency achieved through the use of antibiotics.
In controlled trials, the best feed conversion ratio (FCR) was achieved with oregano essential oil at 350 mg/kg feed (FCR = 1.97 kg feed/kg gain) comparable to antibiotic-supported performance benchmarks.
7–11%
Annual growth in consumer spending on antibiotic-free poultry (USDA)
135M+
Tonnes of poultry meat expected globally by end of 2025 (FAO)
FCR 1.97
Feed conversion achieved with oregano EO on par with antibiotic growth promoters
Probiotics: The Microbiome Managers
The use of direct-fed microbials (DFMs) as a sustainable and feasible replacement for antibiotics in poultry production is becoming increasingly accepted due to the interaction of microbial genetics with host genomics and gut microbiota.
Bacillus subtilis has been demonstrated to be a versatile DFM supplement, improving crude protein digestibility, stimulating endogenous trypsin enzyme secretion, and enhancing the integrity of the intestinal barrier through research conducted from 2020 to 2023.
A study with broiler chickens housed at high stocking density (which is an important cause of stress) demonstrated improved crude protein digestibility and significantly increased endogenous trypsin secretions when using a combination of oregano essential oil and B. subtilis.
What Science Says Is Next
New nano-formulation technology will solve many traditional problems related to additives; they will allow us to achieve better stability, target delivery and controlled release of phytochemicals. Therefore, they greatly improve the biological effectiveness of phytochemicals, making them possible to use at much lower dosages. New nano-enabled phytogenic feed additives (nPFAs) break ground by allowing us precise delivery of biologically active compounds (i.e. curcumin and thymol) to their intended site of action in the intestines of the animal.
Another area that has been gaining commercial interest, and where innovative technologies are becoming available to the feed industry, is bacteriophages (viruses that attack and kill specific strains of bacteria). Commercial products have been approved for use in Canada to combat Salmonella and E. coli in poultry farming.
“By promoting a balanced gut microbiota, phytogenics help reduce enteric infections, promote beneficial bacteria, and suppress pathogenic microbes, reducing the need for antibiotic growth promoters.”
~ Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025
Formulating for the Antibiotic-Free Era
Whether you are poultry producers or nutraceutical ingredient brands, it is no longer debatable, nor is there a going back. Transitioning away from antibiotic growth promoters is now a reality; the success stories are those companies that can demonstrate, using scientifically based evidence, that they have available to them either proven stable or bioavailability data for the naturals used in their formulations, thereby having significant shelf presence and contracts from poultry producers.
Poultry grown without antibiotics provide an even better-healthier product. There is growing evidence supporting this viewpoint. The consumer is now willing to pay premium prices for poultry raised without using antibiotics.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q) Can natural feed additives fully replace antibiotic growth promoters in poultry?
This is true especially in cases where synergistic blends of phytogenics, probiotics, and organic acids are used. Studies indicate that similar growth rates and feed efficiency can be obtained in well-managed flock systems when compared to antibiotic-based diets. Performance depends on the health condition of the flock, stocking density, and specific additive composition.
- Q) Which natural additive is most effective for preventing necrotic enteritis?
Carvacrol and thymol (from oregano and thyme essential oils) have shown strong efficacy against Clostridium perfringens, the primary cause of necrotic enteritis. Black cumin (Nigella sativa) and bacteriophage-based products are also gaining research support for gut pathogen control in broilers.
- Q) How do phytogenic feed additives improve gut health specifically?
They inhibit pathogens in various ways: damage to pathogen cell walls, enhanced enzyme activity (trypsin and amylase), increased villus height (surface area for increased absorption), decreased intestinal inflammation, and increased growth of friendly gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus, and decreased Salmonella and E. coli populations.
- Q) Are there regulatory differences in using natural additives globally?
Yes, very much. The EU banned the use of antibiotic growth promoters in 2006, and it has a mature regulatory environment when it comes to phytogenic and probiotic additives. The US, China, Thailand, and Bangladesh each have their own time lines for restrictions and approvals of additives. Formulations require additives which are stable and proven to be bioavailable across multiple regulatory regimes.
- Q) What’s the business case for switching to antibiotic-free poultry production?
Clearly, there is a demand for a premium. USDA scientists discovered that the cost of antibiotic-free poultry was growing at 7-11% annually for six consecutive years due to consumer demand. Companies that made the switch to this type of feed early enough now have contracts that provide them access to export premium retail markets, such as the EU and Japan, with stringent AMR laws.
