Effects of selenium source and level on growth performance, tissue selenium concentrations, antioxidation, and immune functions of heat-stressed broilers.

An experiment is conducted to investigate the effects of selenium (Se) source and level on growth performance, tissue Se concentrations, antioxidation, and immune functions of heat-stressed broilers from 22 to 42 days of age. A total of 210 22-day-old Arbor Acres commercial male chicks were assigned by body weight to one of seven treatments with six replicates of five birds each in a completely randomized design involving a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement plus one Se-unsupplemented basal diet control (containing 0.027 mg of Se/kg). The three Se sources were sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃), Se yeast, and AMMS Se (Se protein), and the two supplemental Se levels were 0.15 or 0.30 mg Se/kg. All birds were reared under heat-stressed condition (33 ± 1 °C during 0900-1700 hours and 27 ± 1 °C during 1900-0700 hours with a relative humidity of 60-80 %). The results showed that heat-stressed chicks fed Se-supplemented diets had higher (P < 0.10) average daily feed intake, Se concentrations in liver and breast muscle, liver glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, serum antibody titers against H5N1(Re-4 strain), H5N1(Re-5 strain) and lower (P < 0.01) mortality compared with the control. Chicks fed the diets supplemented with 0.30 mg/kg of Se had higher (P < 0.05) Se concentrations in liver and breast muscle, liver GSH-Px activity, and serum antibody titer against H5N1 (Re-4 strain) than those fed the diets supplemented with 0.15 mg/kg of Se. Broilers fed the diets supplemented with Se yeast had higher (P < 0.001) Se concentrations in liver and breast muscle than those fed the diets supplemented with Na₂SeO₃ or AMMS Se. However, broilers fed the diets supplemented with AMMS Se had higher (P < 0.05) serum antibody titers against H5N1 (Re-4 strain) and H5N1 (Re-5 strain) than those fed the diets supplemented with Na₂SeO₃. These results indicated that Se yeast was more effective than Na₂SeO₃ or AMMS Se in increasing tissue Se retention; however, AMMS Se was more effective than Na₂SeO₃ or Se yeast in improving immune functions of heat-stressed broilers.