Heat stress has emerged as a serious threat to the global poultry industry due to climate change. Heat stress can negatively impact the growth, gut health, immune function, and production and reproductive performances of poultry. Different strategies have been explored to mitigate heat stress in poultry; however, only a few have shown potential. Probiotics are gaining the attention of poultry nutritionists, as they are capable of improving the physiology, gut health, and immune system of poultry under heat stress. Therefore, application of probiotics along with proper management are considered to potentially help negate some of the negative impacts of heat stress on poultry. This review presents scientific insight into the impact of heat stress on poultry health and growth performance as well as the application of probiotics as a promising approach to alleviate the negative effects of heat stress in poultry.

Poultry coccidiosis is an intestinal infection caused by an intracellular parasitic protozoan of the genus Eimeria. Coccidia-induced gastrointestinal inflammation results in large economic losses, hence finding methods to decrease its prevalence is critical for industry participants and academic researchers. It has been demonstrated that coccidiosis can be effectively controlled and managed by employing anticoccidial chemical compounds. However, as a result of their extensive use, anticoccidial drug resistance in Eimeria species has raised concerns. Phytochemical/herbal medicines (Artemisia annua, Bidens pilosa, and garlic) seem to be a promising strategy for preventing coccidiosis, in accordance with the “anticoccidial chemical-free” standards. The impact of herbal supplements on poultry coccidiosis is based on the reduction of oocyst output by preventing the proliferation and growth of Eimeria species in chicken gastrointestinal tissues and lowering intestinal permeability via increased epithelial turnover. This review provides a thorough up-to-date assessment of the state of the art and technologies in the prevention and treatment of coccidiosis in chickens, including the most used phytochemical medications, their mode of action, and the applicable legal framework in the European Union.

Antibiotics have been used to maintain the overall health of poultry by increasing production efficiency, promoting growth, and improving intestinal function for more than 50 years. However, they have a number of side effects, such as antibiotic resistance, gut dysbiosis, destruction of beneficial bacteria, and the potential to spread diseases to humans. In order to address the aforementioned issues, a lot of effort is put into the development of antibiotic alternatives. One of them is the use of probiotics that can be added to the feed in order to increase poultry performance and avoid the aforementioned problems. Probiotics are live microorganisms consumed as feed additives or supplements. They function in the poultry gastrointestinal tract to benefit the host. Probiotics improve growth performance, bone health, meat and eggshell quality. The addition of probiotics to the diet also positively affects the immune response, intestinal microflora, and disease resistance. Careful selection of probiotic strains is of utmost importance. This review focuses on the significance of probiotics as a potential antibiotic-free alternative and the way in which they can be used as supplements in poultry feed for boosting production and safeguarding health.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is becoming more well-acknowledged for its ability to improve the development performance of poultry, particularly by interacting with the Insulin-like growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) pathway. This review emphasizes the importance of GABA in optimizing poultry production by thoroughly examining its biochemical characteristics, physiological roles, and molecular mechanisms of action. GABA is a crucial inhibitory neurotransmitter that not only regulates neuronal excitability but also optimizes metabolic processes critical for growth. Supplementing poultry feeds with GABA has been shown to enhance feed conversion efficiency, increase body weight, and bolster immune function. The interplay between GABA and IGF-1 is crucial, as GABA modulates IGF-1 levels and receptor sensitivity, promoting muscle development and overall metabolic health. This review emphasizes the importance of fermentation processes in producing bioavailable GABA, presenting promising implications for sustainable poultry farming practices. Further investigation into GABA supplementation strategies in poultry could lead to improved growth performance and healthier production systems.

The assessment of broiler welfare in intensive production systems is based on a variety of behavioral, health, physiological, and production indicators. Despite the growing amount of available data, its interpretation remains a significant challenge, as individual indicators vary in sensitivity, biological specificity, and dynamics over time, and their significance depends on the environmental context and management practices. This issue becomes particularly relevant in light of the rapid development of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies, which generate ever-increasing amounts of data requiring biologically sound interpretation. The aim of this study was to propose and justify a hierarchical interpretative framework to support the assessment of broiler welfare by organizing indicators according to their primary interpretative function and temporal characteristics. The proposed framework was developed based on a structured, integrative, and conceptual literature synthesis covering current approaches to welfare assessment, animal-based indicators, environmental and management factors, and PLF technologies. Literature synthesis allowed us to identify three fundamental limitations of current welfare assessment systems: a fragmented interpretation of indicators, the limited biological specificity of many parameters, and insufficient consideration of their temporal dynamics. In response to these limitations, the early–confirmatory–outcome (E–C–O) framework was proposed, in which indicators are classified as early warning signals, confirmatory indicators, and outcome indicators. These categories do not imply a mandatory chronological sequence or a cause-and-effect relationship, but rather represent complementary interpretative functions of the indicators used in assessing welfare. This framework treats welfare assessment as an ordered process of diagnostic interpretation rather than a simple aggregation of heterogeneous indicators. The presented framework does not replace existing welfare assessment systems but complements them by introducing a biologically sound logic for data interpretation that takes into account the primary interpretative function of indicators, their temporal characteristics, and the production context. The framework is conceptual in nature and requires empirical validation but can serve as a basis for further empirical validation and the development of decision support systems utilizing PLF technologies and artificial intelligence.