The effect of bee pollen in chicken diet

Abstract

Bee products, including bee pollen, offer a potential alternative to in-feed antibiotics (AGPs) currently used in poultry feed. Bee pollen is a new type of feed additives and is characterised by a variety of nutritional and bioactive properties. It may enhance the immunity of poultry, promote animal growth, protect the intestinal tract health and improve the quality and safety of animal products. Various research papers have focused on the use of bee pollen in poultry feeds, and have reported that it is, as a natural feed additive, a promising alternative to antibiotics and coccidiostats. Most papers have focussed on doses of 400 or 800 mg/kg feed, however limited dose response work has been done. Effective dose rates, dose responses and standardised products need to be established. If such consistent products can be produced, then their efficacy in terms of meat performance, carcass traits, meat quality, immunity, and blood parameters of broiler chickens can be verified, along with costs and returns on investment for producers, to establish the usefulness as an alternative to AGPs.

Keywords::

• bee pollen
• chicken diet
• meat performance
• meat quality