THE EFFECTS OF SODIUM SELENITE AND SELENIZED YEAST SUPPLEMENTATION INTO DIET FOR LAYING HENS ON SELECTED QUALITATIVE PARAMETERS OF TABLE EGGS

Abstract

In this experiment the effects of supplementation of the diet for laying hens with sodium selenite (SS) or selenized yeast (SY) on whole egg and egg shell quality of layers were studied. The chickens of Shaver Starcross 288 strain were randomly divided at the day of hatching into 4 groups (n=12; in each). The birds were fed from Day 1 of life to 9 months of age with diets differing in amounts and/or forms of selenium. Control group received basal diet (BD) containing selenium naturally occurring in feeds (0.1 mg Se/kg of dry matter (DM)). First and second experimental group of chickens were fed with a same BD enriched with equivalent dose of Se 0.4 mg/kg DM in form of sodium selenite or selenized yeast, respectively. The feed for third experimental group of birds consisted of BD supplemented with selenized yeast to the final amount of selenium 1.0 mg/kg DM. The egg weight was significantly higher in the groups with SY supplementation only. On the contrary the egg shell ratio was significantly lower in the groups with SY supplementation in both amounts. The width of egg was significantly increased in the groups with selenium supplementation in both forms. The value of egg shell strength was significantly decreased in group with SY in the highest amount 0.9 mg/kg DM The average egg shell thickness was the highest in the experimental group with Se-yeast in amount 0.9 mg/kg DM, however different was not significant compared with control group. The results showed that the most of selected parameters of egg quality appeared to be significantly influenced by selenium supplementation into laying hen’s basal diet.

Keywords

• laying hens
• sodium selenite
• selenized yeast
• egg weight
• egg shell