**Abstract**

The recent campaign for the exclusion of antibiotics and hormone growth promoters in livestock production has lead to the increase in research and the use of ethnoveterinary medicine in livestock production. The use of ethnoveterinary medicine for smallholder poultry production in Sub-Saharan Africa has proven to be economical, culturally acceptable and ecologically sound since the natural products used are locally available. This chapter focuses on antibiotics alternatives used in poultry production in Sub-Saharan Africa for maintaining good health and improved performance. Antibiotics alternatives explained in this chapter include the use of probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids and medicinal plants. Different medicinal plants that cure bacterial diseases in poultry in Sub Saharan Africa ad their mode of preparation/ administration were explained in this chapter. Despite the seemingly effectiveness of the antibiotics alternatives from plants source, there are some setbacks which include the inconveniences associated with the process of preparation and the difficulty in standardizing them. These setbacks need urgent attention.

**Keywords:** antibiotics alternatives, poultry, sub-Sahara Africa, probiotics, bacterial diseases
