--- description: Perdue Farms is giving its chicken fewer antibiotics – but more probiotics, NPR reports. title: Chickens for sale with added bacteria image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47e49444edfd5436/6986a4b81eebf71b9b372c70/chicken-houses_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Food & Drink](/tag/food-drink/) ## Food & Drink Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Poultry Giant Ditches Antibiotics for Probiotics by [Elizabeth Barber](/author/elizabeth-barber/) ## Elizabeth Barber Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 23, 2014 7:59 AM CUT  In this Aug. 21, 2014 photo Robert Mills holds a four-day old chicken in Pittsylvania County, Va. In this Aug. 21, 2014 photo Robert Mills holds a four-day old chicken in Pittsylvania County, Va.Stephanie Klein-Davis—AP by [Elizabeth Barber](/author/elizabeth-barber/) ## Elizabeth Barber Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 23, 2014 7:59 AM CUT To keep its chickens disease-free, Perdue Farms is giving the livestock fewer antibiotics — but more [probiotics](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/22/350590488/giving-chickens-bacteria-to-keep-them-antibiotic-free "undefined"), NPR reports. The poultry giant believes probiotics, or “good bacteria,” will fend off the harmful kind that might otherwise take up residence in its birds, according to NPR. Poultry companies have long raised their chicken on antibiotics to increase weight and prevent infections — a practice that public-health officials say runs the risk of spurring the development of so-called “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotics and harmful to humans. In response to a recent Reuters investigation into the widespread use of so-called “farmacueticals” in six chicken plants, including Perdue, U.S. lawmakers are eyeing [new legislation](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/16/us-farmaceuticals-chicken-congress-idUSKBN0HB1YZ20140916 "undefined") to compel companies to release more information about their use of antibiotics. Heading off such legislation, Perdue said in a [statement](http://www.perduefarms.com/News%5FRoom/Press%5FReleases/details.asp?id=1104&title=Perdue%20Foods%20reaches%20milestone%20in%20reducing%20antibiotic%20use,%20sets%20standard%20for%20responsible%20use "undefined") earlier this month that it would stop using antibiotics in 95% of its chickens — that is, just to treat ill livestock. Turning to probiotics is among the firm’s alternative strategies for keeping its chickens disease-free, NPR says. \[[_NPR_](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/22/350590488/giving-chickens-bacteria-to-keep-them-antibiotic-free "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3420052/chicken-antibiotics-perdue-probiotics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3420052/chicken-antibiotics-perdue-probiotics/"},"headline":"Poultry Giant Ditches Antibiotics for Probiotics","datePublished":"2014-09-23T07:59:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:20:59.629Z","description":"Your chicken will be antibiotic-free, but rich in bacteria — and that's a good thing, Perdue Farms says","url":"https://time.com/3420052/chicken-antibiotics-perdue-probiotics/","keywords":["Food & Drink","Chicken","probiotics","Bacteria","antibiotics","superbugs","infection"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47e49444edfd5436/6986a4b81eebf71b9b372c70/chicken-houses_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Elizabeth Barber","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/elizabeth-barber/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47e49444edfd5436/6986a4b81eebf71b9b372c70/chicken-houses_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chicken houses could offer stability for Southside farmers","caption":"Chicken houses could offer stability for Southside farmers","creditText":"Stephanie Klein-Davis—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/food-drink/","name":"Food & Drink"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3420052/chicken-antibiotics-perdue-probiotics/","name":"Poultry Giant Ditches Antibiotics for Probiotics"}}]}] ```