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Salmonellosis is a common infection in poultry, which results in huge economic losses in the poultry industry. At the same time, <i>Salmonella</i> infections are a threat to public health, since contaminated poultry products can lead to zoonotic infections. Antibiotics as feed additives have proven to be an effective prophylactic option to control <i>Salmonella</i> infections, but due to resistance issues in humans and animals, the use of antimicrobials in food animals has been banned in Europe. Hence, there is an urgent need to look for alternative strategies that can protect poultry against <i>Salmonella</i> infections. One such alternative could be to strengthen the innate immune system in young chickens in order to prevent early life infections. This can be achieved by administration of immune modulating molecules that target innate immune cells, for example via feed, or by in-ovo applications. We aimed to review the innate immune system in the chicken intestine; the main site of <i>Salmonella</i> entrance, and its responsiveness to <i>Salmonella</i> infection. Identifying the most important players in the innate immune response in the intestine is a first step in designing targeted approaches for immune modulation.