The Gut Microbiota of Laying Hens and Its Manipulation with Prebiotics and Probiotics To Enhance Gut Health and Food Safety

The microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining gut health and influences the overall performance of chickens. Most gut microbiota-related studies have been performed in broilers, which have different microbial communities compared to those of layers. The normal gut microbiota of laying chickens is dominated by Proteobacteria , Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , Fusobacteria , and Actinobacteria at the phylum level. The composition of the gut microbiota changes with chicken age, genotype, and production system.