Practical implications of plant-derived antimicrobials in poultry diets for the control of Salmonella Enteritidis

SUMMARY Several plant-derived antimicrobials have been tested under laboratory or research farm conditions and have been shown to be effective in reducing the colonization and shedding of Salmonella Enteritidis from laying hens and broiler chickens when added to the feed. How well these particular compounds or essential oils work under commercial conditions is yet to be determined. Some of the practical implications of using these compounds in commercial poultry feed or diets are discussed in this paper. In general, an ample supply of many of these compounds exist, they are relatively easily mixed with other feed ingredients, and are effective at relatively small amounts. The cost of adding to the feed is still a variable and the total economic effect can only be estimated at this point.