Influence of dietary sodium selenite and barley selenium on the performance of laying hens and their subsequent progeny

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary selenium (Se) deficiency and supplemental Se as sodium selenite or Se-enriched barley on the performance of laying hens and subsequent progeny. Low-Se basal diets (0.03 mg/kg) were fed alone or supplemented with 0.20, 0.40 or 0.60 mg Se/kg provided as sodium selenite or Se-enriched barley, for 20 weeks to White Leghorn laying hens with initially low-Se status. Egg production and hatchability were significantly (p* (0.01) reduced in the Se-deficient hens, while supplemental Se from both sources (* )=0.20 mg/kg diet) normalized these criterias. Erythrocyte cell volume (PCV) and plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity were significantly (p*0.01) reduced in Se-deficient hens. No significant (p* )0.05) differences were observed in the hens with regard to feed consumption, egg and body weight or fertility as a result of these dietary treatments. Increasing the dietary Se supplementation above 0.20 mg/kg had no adverse effect on hen performance. There was an evident carry over effect of Se from the maternal diet via eggs to the chicks. The plasma and liver GSH-Px activity in 1 day old chicks was significantly (p*0.01) higher in progeny from Se-supplemented hens than in those from Se-depleted mothers. Progeny from the hens on the different dietary treatments were fed a low Se-vitamin E basal diet for 3 weeks posthatching. Chicks from hens with low-Se status showed a significantly (p*0.01) more rapid appearance and higher clinical incidence of the Se-vitamin E deficiency disease exudative diathesis (ED), than did chicks from Se-supplemented hens. Thus, the high activity of GSH-Px present at hatching delayed the development of ED but did not prevent it entirely. Sodium selenite and barley Se were utilized similarly to maintain hen performance. However, Se-enriched barley induced a higher activity of plasma and liver GSH-Px in newly hatched chicks than did sodium selenite