Modern poultry production is increasingly shaped by factors that are not immediately visible but have a decisive impact on performance. Beyond nutrition and genetics, invisible stressors such as microbial imbalance, low-grade inflammation, dietary toxins, and environmental pressure can quietly undermine efficiency and resilience. Understanding how these hidden challenges interact with the gut microbiome is becoming essential for sustaining animal health and unlocking full production potential.
By A&P Nutrition
Beyond meeting nutritional requirements, modern poultry production requires managing the unseen. Birds are bred for exceptional efficiency, rapid growth and uniform performance. Yet, even under optimal conditions, birds face a variety of invisible stressors that quietly erode this potential. These include heat or crowding, low-grade inflammation, dietary toxins or subtle microbial imbalances.
These invisible stressors share one common pathway: the gut microbiome. As a metabolic and immunological “control center”, it influences how well birds can cope with challenges. A stable, diverse microbiome helps maintain intestinal integrity, modulate immune responses and optimize digestion. When this equilibrium is disturbed, e.g. by poor fiber quality, feed contaminants or inflammation, the consequences are inefficient metabolism, reduced resilience and ultimately performance loss.
FEEDING THE MICROBIOME: STRUCTURE MEETS FUNCTION
The microbiota can be influenced by a wide range of dietary factors, yet the dietary fiber profile is one of the fundamental levers. Beyond its structural role, the right fiber provides fermentable substrate that drives the microbiota towards a beneficial composition that produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the essential energy source for the epithelium. However, not all fiber types act the same. Conventional lignocellulose (LC) supports gizzard function and litter quality but has limited influence on the microbiome and hindgut fermentation. In contrast, eubiotic LC, combining structural fiber from stem wood with fermentable fractions from bark, goes further. It promotes hindgut fermentation, producing measurable shifts in the microbial community and increased SCFA production.
WHEN TOXINS DISRUPT MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES
Even at low concentrations, mycotoxins like AFB1, OTA or T-2 disturb the microbial balance and compromise gut integrity, allowing opportunistic pathogens to proliferate. The resulting dysbiosis reduces nutrient digestibility and triggers secondary inflammation. Effective mycotoxin control therefore requires more than binding capacity. A multi-component approach combining adsorption, biological components that perform biotransformation, as well as ingredients that provide liver and immune system support has proven effective in minimizing the mycotoxin risk. In a mycotoxin challenge trial in Brazil, dietary inclusion of a multi-component feed supplement improved performance parameters and increased the count of beneficial Bacillus spp., which have probiotic function.
INFLAMMATION AS THE SILENT THIEF
Chronic, low-grade inflammation develops gradually through repeated immune activation, often secondary to mycotoxins, dietary imbalances or microbial shifts, among others. Inflammatory processes consume energy that is diverted away from performance. This may disrupt the microbiome by suppressing beneficial taxa and favoring opportunistic, undesired species. Wood lignans have the potential to counteract both oxidative stress and excessive inflammatory signals which arise in response to numerous stressors. In broilers, lignan supplementation shifted microbial composition towards beneficial genera such as Lactobacillus, Bacillus and Akkermansia, while opportunistic pathogenic species declined. At the same time performance was improved.
RESPIRATORY STRESS, THE OFTEN-FORGOTTEN PERFORMANCE FACTOR
The respiratory tract as well is a large surface in contact with the environment and a major interface of stress. High dust load, ammonia or temperature fluctuations can trigger oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Recent research in layers showed that supplementation with a blend of essential oils, lysozyme and vitamins improved tracheal integrity and antioxidant status after NDV and IBV vaccination. Birds receiving the blend developed higher antibody titers, lower oxidative stress, and fewer tracheal lesions.
A&P Nutrition, the newly unified brand born from the strategic alliance of PATENT CO. and agromed under the RWA (Raiffeisen Ware Austria) umbrella, is redefining the future of animal nutrition with decades of expertise now consolidated into a single, robust portfolio. At the heart of this transformation lies a clear mission: Improving animal performance. This is more than a slogan—it’s a customer-centric promise backed by innovation, transparency, and a deep understanding of species-specific needs. Through the targeted solutions of A&P Nutrition – eubiotic lignocellulose (OPTICELL), multilayered mycotoxin control (MYCORAID), wood lignans as gut performance tool (AGROMED ROI) and respiratory support (LIQUIHYPE) – we offer an integrated approach to conquer unseen performance barriers, focusing on the microbiome as the central link between nutrition, metabolism and resilience.
References are available on request.
