Method for encouraging poultry to distribute and ingest competitive exclusion products

摘要

A method is disclosed for increasing the rate at which young poultry will ingest beneficial probiotic compositions effective against bacteria such as salmonella. The method includes the steps of maintaining a flat containing a plurality of chicks at a first position under an ambient light intensity for a period sufficient for the chicks to acclimate to the ambient light intensity, transferring the flat and the chicks therein to a second position where the light intensity to which the chicks are being exposed is at a predetermined higher intensity that the ambient intensity, distributing a competitive exclusion product onto the flat of chicks while the flat and chicks therein are being exposed to the higher intensity light, immediately thereafter transferring the flat and the chicks therein to a third position where the chicks are exposed to an intermediate light intensity that is greater than the ambient intensity but less than the predetermined high intensity, and maintaining the flat and the chicks therein in the third position and exposed to the intermediate light intensity for a period substantially equivalent to the effective lifetime of the competitive exclusion product.