How phytogenics improve livestock
Natural feed additives score with clear improvements in performance and product quality
What if improved animal welfare and stronger performance were not opposites, but went hand in hand? This article shows how phytogenic feed additives support gut function, nutrient absorption and stress resilience — with measurable results. In a trial with broilers, Anta®Phyt improved final weight, lowered feed conversion ratio, increased carcass yield and reduced abdominal fat. Read how gut-focused feeding strategies can boost both product quality and farm profitability.
Modern animal husbandry faces the challenge of balancing animal welfare and performance. Consumer expectations of healthy, high-quality food and ingredients, alongside climate constraints, limited resources, increasing resistance to medications and legal regulations, create a demanding framework for livestock farmers. Additionally, the economic need for profitability is crucial for farm sustainability. Achieving high yields and product quality while minimising medication use, especially antibiotics, can seem like a contradiction. How can we increase performance and animal welfare at the same time?
The key to resolving this conflict and achieving both goals lies in the digestive system, which significantly influences animal performance and health.
Focus on the gut
It is no coincidence that the gut is one of the most important parts of the immune system. A disrupted gut microbiota and a damaged intestinal barrier hinder the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients efficiently. This can lead to malnutrition and reduced feed conversion, especially in high-performing animals. External stressors and climatic factors further impair nutrient transport and reduce the absorption of essential nutrients like amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Impaired nutrient uptake and the additional energy required to cope with stress in turn reduce the energy available for growth, leading to visible consequences.
The carcass and its marketability play a central role in fattening farm profitability. Parameters such as the proportion of valuable cuts and abdominal fat content are important indicators not just for marketability but also of carcass quality. High fat content indicates stress and unbalanced feeding. The direct negative consequences of stress on growth, feed conversion, and meat quality are clearly reflected in the carcass composition – the proportion of abdominal fat and the muscle content of the breast and thighs.
Feeding is the key
In conclusion, besides genetic potential, gut functionality for nutrient supply and stress resilience is the decisive factor for production success. This can be summarised in a simple formula: a stable and functional gut leads to better performance and quality. An optimised feeding strategy that relies on the right feed additives can achieve precisely this by improving gut function, promoting nutrient absorption, increasing stress tolerance, and supporting animal health. Phytogenic additives based on plant-based ingredients are becoming increasingly important in this area.
Phytogenics put to the test
High-yielding animals are particularly sensitive to external factors. For example, high outside temperatures can quickly become a stressor that threatens animal health and performance. A study investigated options available to livestock farmers to counteract this and maintain animal performance. The study used chicks fed a standardised basal diet supplemented with Anta®Phyt. This phytogenic solution is based on years of experience with phytogenics. It tackles the production challenges, supports gut health and improves growth, performance and product quality in a natural way. Numerous trials have already demonstrated the positive effects of Anta®Phyt on feed conversion, growth, and resilience. This recent study randomly divided 200 one-day-old chicks into two groups. The control group received a standardised basal diet, while the treatment group received an additional 200g of Anta®Phyt per day.
Animal weight was measured weekly to determine the growth rate. Feed intake was recorded daily to calculate feed conversion. After 42 days, 10 animals from each group were selected randomly for carcass analysis, focusing on abdominal fat and the relative weight of carcass parts like breast, leg, and thigh. The results were clear.
Firstly, the animals in the treatment group receiving the phytogenic additive for seven weeks had a higher final weight with a lower FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) and achieved over 2% more carcass weight than the animals in the control group. The plant ingredients in Anta®Phyt effectively supported the digestive system, leading to better absorption and utilisation of nutrients (Table 1).
| Final weight (g) | 2479.6 | 2534.5 |
| Feed conversion rate (FCR) | 1.62 | 1.56 |
Table 1: Higher final weight, better feed conversion ratio with Anta®Phyt
Secondly, these animals had a visibly higher percentage of muscle and a lower percentage of fat, resulting in better carcass quality at the end of the study (Table 2). Why is this?
The higher muscle content, a key indicator of meat quality, suggests a more efficient conversion of ingested feed into muscle mass. Improved nutrient utilisation ensures that more of the supplied proteins and energy flow directly into muscle building, increasing the proportion of muscle compared to fat tissue. Additionally, increased stress promotes fat tissue formation over muscle tissue. Since housing conditions were identical for both groups, the results suggest that the animals in the treatment group had higher nutrient utilisation and resistance and were less influenced by external factors during development.
| Abdominal fat (g/100g) | 1.432 | 1.405 |
| Carcass proportions (g/100g) | ||
| Breast | 36.04 | 37.07 |
| Leg | 25.71 | 27.08 |
| Thigh | 14.28 | 14.51 |
Table 2: Phytogenics bring more quality and more yield
The improved nutrient supply and better digestion in the treatment group was also reflected in another parameter that is a clear indicator of intestinal health: the bedding moisture in this group was almost 17% lower than in the control group and therefore clearly within the optimum range.
Convincing advantages in every respect
High performance and good animal welfare do not have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, with the right strategy, both can be effectively combined, leading to more sustainable, long-term successful, and economically stable production. Anta®Phyt is a valuable tool for supporting yield, feed conversion, and product quality.
