Probiotics in Modern Livestock Systems (a Short Communication)

Abstract

The shift toward antibiotic-free animal production is accelerating the adoption of probiotics as biological agents for improving feed efficiency, gut health, and productive performance in poultry and ruminants. Probiotics exert multifaceted functions through competitive exclusion, enhancement of digestive enzyme activity, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and immunomodulation of the gut ecosystem. Evidence across controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrates reduced feed conversion ratio (4–6%), improved average daily gain (5–9%), and increased egg quality and milk yield in birds and cattle, respectively. In ruminants, fibrolytic and yeast-based probiotics improve fiber digestibility and rumen stability, yielding higher propionate energy recovery. This review integrates current findings, proposes a conceptual model of precision-microbiome feed interventions, and highlights emerging prospects for targeted, strain-specific probiotic supplementation enabled by metagenomic analytics. The future of livestock nutrition is projected to shift from static feed formulation toward microbiome-adaptive feeding where probiotics act as metabolic correctors rather than generic additives.

Keywords: probiotics; gut microbiota; feed efficiency; ruminants; precision livestock nutrition