The Effect of Organic Selenium Supplementation on Productive and Physiological Performance in a Local Strain of Chicken. 2- Immune System and Some Physiological Aspects in Bandarah Chicks Affected by Organic Selenium

The experiment was conducted to study productive, physiological and immunological parameters in Bandarah local chicks as affected by dietary organic selenium (SelPlexTM). All chicks were used in the present work produced from females and males fed diets with 0.0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg Se / kg diet in the form of selenium yeast (Sel-PlexTM). Two hundred unsexed oneday old chicks (50 chicks per parental treatment group) of Bandarah chicks were placed in brooder at 4 pens and fed a basal diet supplemented with the same concentrations of organic selenium (SelPlexTM) as the same of their parents until they were 12 weeks of age. The obtained results indicated that: 1Selenium supplementation especially at 0.2 and 0.3 mg/ kg diet diet significantly (P≤0.05) increased live body weight of Bandarah chicks during the experimental period. Also, live body weight of males was significantly (P≤0.05) heavier than females. 2Blood hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC`s), white blood cells (WBC`s), antibody responses against infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDV) and Triiodothyronine (T3) were significantly (P≤0.05) increased in groups fed selenium (Sel-PlexTM) compared with the control group. While, serum thyroxine (T4) had not significantly influenced by selenium supplementation. All previous mentioned traits were not significantly affected by sex, except, WBC`s in females which was significantly higher than those for males. Serum total protein, globulin and glutathione peroxidase concentrations significantly increased for groups fed 0.2 and 0.3 selenium compared with the control group. While, no significant effects on A.M.H. El-Sheikh, et al. 518 serum albumin concentrations was observed. Moreover, serum selenium concentrations significantly increased for all groups fed selenium (SelPlexTM) compared with the control group. All previous mentioned traits were not significantly affected by sex, except, serum selenium concentration in females which was significantly higher than for males. 3Relative weights of carcass and lymphoid organs (spleen, bursa of fabricius, and thymus gland) of Bandarah chicks were significantly increased by all concentrations of organic selenium (Sel-PlexTM) supplementation compared with the control group. Previous mentioned traits were significantly higher in females than males except relative weight of carcass males.