Effects of Selenium-enriched Diets on the Growth Performance, Slaughter Characteristics, and Blood Biochemistry of Rhode Island Red Chicken

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to determine how seleniumsupplemented diets affected the growth performance, carcass traits, and blood biochemistry of Rhode Island Red (RIR) chickens. Organic and inorganic selenium (SE) was fed to the birds at 0.30ppm, whereas the control diet was not supplemented with selenium in either organic or inorganic form. A total of 225 day-old RIR chicks were indiscriminately distributed in three groups according to the experimental diets, in a completely randomized design. Each treatment group was repeated 5 times (replicates), and each replicate had 15 birds. Parameters of growth performance, carcass characteristics, and blood biochemistry were assessed. Birds fed an inorganic selenium-supplemented diet had higher feed intake than those fed an organic selenium-supplemented diet or the control diet, whereas birds fed an organic seleniumsupplemented diet had higher body weight gains and better feed conversion ratios. Birds fed organic SE in the diet showed higher breast and thigh weight than those receiving inorganic Se, whereas dressing percentage, drumstick yield, and weights of liver, gizzard, heart, and wing were not significantly different across treatments. The organic Se group showed higher values for total protein and globulin in the blood relative to those fed inorganic Se and the control diet. Similarly, organic Se fed birds showed higher blood Se concentration than the other two groups. However, no significant differences in albumin, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid were observed among the diets. These results lead to the conclusion that organic Se may be utilized in diets to improve the poor performance of RIR chicken.