Fairy Dust or Farmer’s Friend?

By Kevin J. Jacque

One can walk into a feed or farm store and be quite overwhelmed by the number of supplements and feed options for their farm animals. Many have catchy names, flashy labels, or marketing for “show” or “high value” animals. We will intend to discuss some of those supplements – prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics – their uses and dissemination within farm animal health.

First, let us define the terms. Prebiotics are compounds in feeds and forages that help to feed the microorganisms of the gastrointestinal tract. Let us call these products those that “feed the bugs.” Some common examples are fiber (especially in ruminants), inulin, lactulose, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), and others. Most of these compounds are used by the gut microorganisms to ferment into usable compounds or metabolic processes that benefit the cells of the gastrointestinal tract.

In cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, deer, and similar ruminants, fermentation occurs in the foregut (rumen, C1, or pseudorumen). In monogastric or polygastric animals, these prebiotics are fermented in the intestinal tract to varying degrees (dogs and cats ferment less than rabbits or horses).

The second group is more common to farm animal owners – probiotics. These products are live microorganisms (living organisms). Think of these products as “the bugs.” Common “bugs” in probiotics include bacteria and yeast such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Enterococcus. Many people may recognize some of these bugs from yogurt commercials and beneficial infomercials. Products that are naturally fermented, like yogurt or kefir, have natural probiotic strains. One can also find common probiotic pastes, powders, and drenches in the feed store.