| Abstract |
The commercial poultry industry has made tremendous strides over the past decades, where its scientific advancements have translated into optimized economics and production efficiency. These changes have led to a vertically integrated industry that is highly organized from the hatchery to the final poultry retail products. Much of this improvement can be attributed to nutritional discoveries and advances in poultry genetics. Both have led to faster-growing and more-efficient uniform birds in the production cycle. As a part of that progress, historically, antibiotic growth promoters were extensively used to promote gastrointestinal health and reduce disease, among other benefits, some of which were less defined. However, because of public health concerns, antibiotic growth promoters have been mostly phased out of poultry production, creating a demand for alternative feed additives that can contribute to some of these benefits. This review discusses the developments in poultry nutrition and genetics, the introduction and eventual phasing out of antibiotic growth promoters, and the rationale for using alternative feed additives. |
, Steven C. Ricke 
