Application of Bacillus as Probiotics in Dexamethasone Challenged Broilers

Probiotics are routinely added to chicken feed for decades to help improve intestinal health under high industry pressure. With a new understanding of the importance of gut microbiota, the industry is now trying to colonise the birds with good bacteria from the moment they hatch. Probiotics ability to colonise the birds and provide protection against common issues in industry such as enteric infections and leaky gut which results in diarrhea and wet litter is an important animal welfare issue. Diarrhea and wet litter, which in turn gives birds severe foot lesions, are leading problems in the poultry industry since the birds across Australia had to move to vegetarian diets. In this application we will evaluate the ability of Bacillus probiotics to provide protection from the diarrhea and wet litter. Each proposed trial is fully industry funded.