Estimation of dietary selenium requirement for Chinese egg-laying ducks

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the selenium (Se) requirement of egg-laying ducks based on daily egg production and the selenoprotein glutathione peroxidase (Gpx). Five-hundred and forty laying ducks were divided into six treatments, each containing six replicates of 15 ducks. The birds were caged individually and received a Se-deficient basal diet (0.04 mg/kg) or diets supplemented with 0.08, 0.16, 0.24, 0.32, 0.40 mg/kg Se (as sodium selenite) for 6 months. The experiment consisted of two periods: an early-laying period of 2 months and the peak-laying period of 4 months. Egg production and feed intake were recorded daily. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were drawn for determination of Gpx activity in plasma (Gpx3) and in erythrocytes (Gpx1). Hepatic Gpx1 activity and relative expression of Gpx1 mRNA were also determined. Eggs (n = 6) were sampled for quality determination and Se content at the end of the experiment. The activities of plasma Gpx3, erythrocyte Gpx1 and liver Gpx1 increased in a quadratic manner (P < 0.001) with increasing supplemental Se. The mRNA abundance of hepatic Gpx1 increased linearly (P < 0.001) with dietary Se supplementation. Egg shell thickness was significantly reduced in the ducks fed 0.44 mg Se/kg (P < 0.05), indicating that higher dietary Se tends to compromise egg shell quality. Yolk and albumen contents of Se increased linearly (P < 0.0001) with dietary Se supplementation. Using quadratic broken line models, the Se requirement for daily egg production was 0.18 mg/kg for early-laying ducks and 0.24 mg/kg for peak-laying ducks; for optimal function of Gpx (peak-laying ducks), it was 0.37 mg Se/kg.

Selenium-Dependent Antioxidant Enzymes: Actions and Properties of Selenoproteins

“…Studies with Chinese egg-laying ducks have shown that Se requirement for daily egg production is 0.18 mg Se/kg for early-laying birds, 0.24 mg Se/kg for peak-laying birds while for optimal GPX unction in peak-laying ducks it is 0.37 mg Se/kg [ 193 ]. Similarly, today’s minimum Se requirement in broilers is 0.15 μg Se/g diet and pancreas data indicate that the Se requirement should be raised to 0.2 μg Se/g diet [ 194 ].…”

Nutritional requirements of meat-type and egg-type ducks: what do we know?

“…From 1 to 49 d of age, Cherry Valley hybrid ducks need 0.4 mg Se/kg to improve their growth rate [ 98 ]. In addition, Shanma laying ducks require 0.18 and 0.24 mg Se/kg of diet for egg production in the early and peak-laying phases, respectively, whereas 0.38 mg Se/kg of diet is recommended to enhance the activity of the glutathione redox system [ 99 ]. Moreover, from hatching to 3 wk of age, White Pekin ducks require 0.236 mg Se/kg of diet to protect their tissues against oxidative damage [ 100 ].…”

The effects of dietary Se on productive and reproductive performance, tibial quality, and antioxidant capacity in laying duck breeders

“…Reviewing the recommendations of the NRC (1994) , Se requirements are listed for broilers, laying hens, quail, and meat ducks (0–2 wk of age), but no estimates are available on Se requirements for laying ducks or duck breeders in NRC (1994) . In laying ducks, Chen et al. (2015) found that the Se requirement for optimal daily egg production was 0.18 mg/kg feed during the early-laying period and 0.24 mg/kg during the peak-laying period.…”

“…In southern China, more than 300 million birds are raised from such breed, producing around 80 billion eggs per year, with an average adult BW of 1.5 kg and 280 to 300 eggs per duck yearly ( Xia et al., 2015 ). Over the past 10 y, our group has been estimating nutrient requirements for the layers and breeders of Longyan duck breed, including CP, ME, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals ( Chen et al., 2015 , Xia et al., 2015 , Xia et al., 2019a , Xia et al., 2019b ). As part of a systematic program for optimizing the performance of the highly productive laying duck breeders, this study aimed to estimate the optimal level of dietary Se, testing 6 graded levels, for maximal egg production, fertility, hatchability, tibial quality, and antioxidative status in Longyan duck breeders.…”