DFMs are products that contain viable and live microorganisms, such as yeast and bacteria. These organisms are most often found in poultry feed. DFMs can also be called probiotics. DFM or probiotic,their purpose in poultry production is to provide live microorganisms for the bird in sufficient quantities to confer a health advantage on the host.
Now, we are going to talk about direct fed microbials for poultry .
Image Source : Google
Many people don't realize that hatchlings have an immature mucosal immune system and that the gastrointestinal tract doesn't contain a mature microbiome. This is when the bird becomes more susceptible to imbalanced microbiome populations.
The gastrointestinal tract can be colonised by bacteria if it is left untreated. This could be either good or bad, depending on the type of environment. By providing birds with beneficial bacteria, they can colonise their gastrointestinal tracts and fight pathogenic bacteria.
What are Direct Fed Microbials?
DFMs, or probiotics, provide large amounts of beneficial bacteria to the host. They can occupy adhesion sites in the gastrointestinal tract and prevent colonisation by non-beneficial species.
Beneficial bacteria can also compete with other bacteria species for nutrients and produce anti-microbial substances that directly inhibit growth of harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
What are the main attributes of a DFM? And what makes a probiotic good?
Direct Fed Microbials should be able and capable of being administered in sufficient amounts to reach the target area of the gastrointestinal tract.