The Effect of Organic Selenium Supplementation on Productive and Physiological Performance in a Local Strain of Chicken

the effect of selenium yeast (SelPlexTM) as dietary organic selenium supplementation on the productive, reproductive and physiological traits of Bandarah local chickens from 40 to 60 weeks of age was studied. One hundred and sixty females and forty males at 40 weeks of age were distributed randomly among four treatment groups (40 females and 10 males in each group). Females and males were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 0.0, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3 mg Se / kg diet in the form of SelPlexTM. The obtained results indicated that the live body weight was significantly increased in females and males fed Sel-PlexTM supplementation, while no significant effect on feed consumption. Live body weight of females was significantly increased with increase of hens age, but no significant effect on feed consumption as the age of birds increased. Egg production percentage, egg weight, egg quality (Haugh unit, egg yolk index and shell thickness) and selenium content in yolk and albumen were significantly increased for hens fed Sel-PlexTM supplementation compared with those in control group. All previous mentioned traits were significantly affected by hen's age. Semen ejaculate volume, advanced motility (%), alive sperm (%) and sperm concentration were significantly increased by SelPlexTM supplementation in cock's diet. These traits were not significantly affected by cock age except for sperm concentration which was increased (P ≤ 0.05) at 56 and 60 weeks of age. Sel-PlexTM supplementation at 0.2 and 0.3 mg in females and males diet significantly increased the concentrations of total protein, globulin, glutathione peroxidase, selenium, triiodotherionine (T3), hemoglobin(Hb), RBC`s and WBC`s while, no Maysa, M.Hanafy. et al 1062 significant effect on serum albumin and thyroxin (T4) concentration was observed. Fertility and hatchability percentages were significantly increased in treated groups but hatched chicks weight was increased (P≤0.05) especially with high level of Sel-PlexTM supplementation. Relative weights of ovary, testes, spleen, thymus and thyroid gland were significantly increased in selenium treated groups except relative weight of testes with low level of Sel-PlexTM supplementation. So, it can be concluded that selenium as (SelPlex) supplementation in the diets had improved the productive, reproductive and physiological traits in females and males of Bandarah local strain.