Effects of two supplemental dietary selenium sources (mineral and organic) on broiler performance and drip-loss

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of two different supplemental dietary selenium (Se) sources on broiler performance and whole carcass drip-loss. A total of 273 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Avian Farms) were randomly divided into 3 groups of 91 birds each according to the dietary Se supplementation. The first group received no supplemental Se into starter (from the 1(st) to the 21(st) days), grower (from the 22(nd) to the 35(th) days) and withdrawal (from the 36(th) to the 42(nd) days) diets. The second and third groups were fed with the different dietary regimes supplemented with 0.3 ppm mineral Se (Sodium selenite) or organic Se (Se enriched yeast) respectively. Growth performance (body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio) were recorded on the 21(st) and the 42(nd) days and carcass traits (chilled carcass weight and chilled carcass yield, whole carcass drip-loss) were measured after slaughtering on the 42(nd) day. Whatever the origin of Se supplementation, no significant effect on body weight, body weight gain and feed intake was observed on days 21 and 42, and chilled carcass weights and their yield were also unaffected at the end of experiment. By contrast, total feed conversion ratio (from the 1(st) to the 42(nd) days) was significantly improved and whole carcass drip-loss was significantly reduced in birds receiving 0.3 ppm organic Se in comparison to the other groups (P < 0.01). These results indicate that supplementation of broiler diets with organic Se improved feed conversion ratio and decreased drip-loss, leading to increase meat quality and economical gain.