# Probiotic additives for feed



## xerxes (Feb 28, 2016)

Hello,

My company is working on designing a probiotic additive for chicken feed, and we'd like some input from farmers and retailers on what the most important things are to them in terms of the additive's effects:
Should it decrease chicken mortality?
Increase speed of weight gain?
Help protect against other diseases?
Etc.
What are the most important things to you that our product could help with? Thanks for your time and opinions.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Are you marketing towards backyard flocks or commercial flocks?
Most premium poultry feeds already have pro/prebiotics mixed in .


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

What's the name of the company? Do they have a website?


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## xerxes (Feb 28, 2016)

Currently we are in the research and development stage of a chicken probiotic. Our company does already market a human probiotic found at www.generalbiotics.com

While many feeds do have premixes pre/probiotics, the bacteria they supply have not been optimized for chicken health. We intend to breed an optimal bacteria blend for chickens.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The challenge I see so far concerning your existing product is the non disclosure of exactly what is in the product. You could probably plug in the cost. For people who do not raise birds commercially they want to know what it is they're feeding their birds/animals and that it be affordable. That it be easily dispensed which is an issue for most probiotics that are not in their feed. 

Having to mix it in water means that efficacy is largely negligible after the first day. So if the cost is prohibitive then dosing a daily basis could get expensive very fast.

BTW, there is a probiotic available for chickens that can be mixed in water already out there.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

xerxes said:


> Hello,
> 
> My company is working on designing a probiotic additive for chicken feed, and we'd like some input from farmers and retailers on what the most important things are to them in terms of the additive's effects:
> Should it decrease chicken mortality?
> ...


The main reason probiotics and prebiotics must accompany each other in a formula is so that probiotic bacteria such as L. acidophilus survive for a time in the digestive tract. Probios formula is what I prefer to use, and water dispersibles are utilized better than a feed additive. Too much chlorine in water can inhibit the survival of probiotic bacteria used as a water supplement. Since all immunity to disease begins in the intestinal tract, I have encouraged the use of it as a poultry supplement for awhile to newer folks. My interest is longevity and a good quality life for my birds, and I've seen a difference as I've learned more over the years. I rarely treat with medication for intestinal problems, and I believe probiotic supplementation has much to do with that.

Here are a few informative links, one basic and the second, a trial performed at the University of Arkansas:
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page8.htm

http://www.pacificvetgroup.com/docs/PROBIOTICS-DFM-FOR-SALMONELLA-CONTROL-IN-POULTRY.pdf


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## xerxes (Feb 28, 2016)

We actually do intend to disclose ingredients and strains as we do with our current human probiotic.

Also, we have decided to create dry feed additives. We'd decided that if we could solve the caking issues in the additive that it would be much easier than adding to the water, although we did give that some thought as well. Any strong preferences on this point? We came to this conclusion after talking to some farmers and looking at the current products.

What percentage improvement over a control group would be convincing to you, and in what areas: straight mortality, mortality adjusted feed efficiency, maturation time? We are actually quite interested in the details of what sort of performance chicken growers want, and at what improvement level they might be convinced to try our product.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

According to what I found concerning your existing product the complaints were that you don't divulge the full ingredients since you feel they are proprietary.

We all raise birds for different reasons, eggs, meat, the pure pleasure of having them in our lives. The sole goal of each of us is that our birds are healthy no matter the reason we're raising them.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Do you own any chickens?


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## xerxes (Feb 28, 2016)

For a long time we didn't disclose. Now we do. Strains list for human probiotic:

http://www.generalbiotics.com/equilibrium/strains

Our ingredients have always been available on our website:

http://www.generalbiotics.com/

Our company is working with chicken farmers to test our product.


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