Short-chain fatty acids have been widely used as feed additives to control Salmonella
in poultry. Data on the use of butyric acid in poultry are lacking. In this study,
powder form and coated butyric acid were compared in their ability to reduce Salmonella
colonization of ceca and internal organs shortly after infection of young chickens
with Salmonella enteritidis. In the first trial, 4 groups of 25 specific pathogen
free layer chickens were given feed either supplemented with powder form butyric acid,
coated butyric acid, a combination of powder form and coated butyric acid (all groups
received a total of 0.63 g of butyric acid/kg) or nonsupplemented feed. The specific
pathogen free layer chickens were orally infected with 10(6) cfu of S. enteritidis.
Coated butyric acid significantly decreased cecal colonization 3 d post-infection
compared with control chickens, and powder form butyric acid had no effect. To study
long-term shedding and colonization of Salmonella in broilers given coated butyric
acid as feed additive (0.63 g of active product butyric acid/kg), 10 Ross broiler
chickens were infected at d 5 with 10(5) cfu of S. enteritidis and housed together
with 40 noninfected broilers. A control group received nonsupplemented feed. The group
of broilers receiving coated butyric acid had a significantly lower number of broilers
shedding Salmonella bacteria, but cecal colonization at slaughter age was equal for
both groups. In conclusion, butyric acid decreases cecal colonization shortly after
infection, decreases fecal shedding, and as a consequence, decreases environmental
contamination by S. enteritidis-infected broilers. However, complete elimination can
probably only be achieved with a combined approach using both hygienic measures and
different protection measures, as the broilers still carried S. enteritidis bacteria
in the ceca at slaughter age, although at enrichment level.