Week 38: Probiotics Did Not Clearly Improve Leg Health
Can probiotics strengthen chickens’ bones and improve their mobility? In a new study, neither probiotics, antibiotics nor environmental enrichment produced a statistically significant improvement in overall leg and bone health.
How was the study conducted?
A total of 1,440 broiler chickens were housed in 48 pens. They received either a standard diet, a probiotic supplement, or an antibiotic growth promoter. Half of the groups were also provided with environmental enrichment. The researchers assessed mobility, bone mineralisation, skeletal deformities, and joint and muscle problems.
What did the study find?
Neither probiotics, antibiotics, nor environmental enrichment produced a statistically significant improvement in overall leg health. The group receiving both probiotics and enrichment showed some promising results for bone mineralisation, but the difference was not strong enough to rule out chance.
What is new?
The most important aspect is the researchers’ broader approach to assessing leg health. An intervention may appear beneficial when only one measure is considered, but not when mobility, bones, joints, and skeletal deformities are evaluated together.
How strong is the evidence?
Moderate. This was a relatively large, controlled study, but the findings apply to fast-growing broiler chickens and cannot be directly generalised to laying hens or backyard breeds. The article has been peer-reviewed and accepted, but has not yet undergone the journal’s final copy-editing and typesetting.
What does this mean for backyard flocks?
The study provides no evidence that probiotics alone can solve leg or mobility problems. A complete diet, healthy body weight, suitable flooring, opportunities for movement, and proper investigation of sick or lame birds remain more important than any single supplement.
