EFFECT OF FORM OF SELENIUM USED IN BROILER BREEDERS' DIET ON EGG PRODUCTION, EGG QUALITY, HATCHABILITY AND CHICKS GROWTH PERFORMANCE

The present study was conducted to evaluate two different sources (Se- hydroxy-4-methylselenobutanoic acid, HMSeBA vs. selenium yeast) of organic selenium in female broiler breeder's diets on egg production, fertility, egg quality, hatchability and chicks' growth performance. Two hundred and twenty, 54 weeks old Ross-308 male (20) and female (200) breeders were used in the experiment for 9 weeks. Standard breeder (female) diet based on corn and soya were used. Birds were placed in a completely randomized design with 2 dietary treatments (HMSeBA and Selenium yeast) groups with 10 replicates each including 10 females and 1 male per pen. Feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg production, egg yield, hen-day egg production were recorded. Hatching and progeny performances were run twice. Form of selenium did not have any significant effects on body weight changes, egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed efficiency and hatching performance (P>0.05). Chicks of the first hatching from the maternal receiving HMSeBA had higher body weight gain at 7 and 14 days of age (P<0.05). At 35 days of age, the chicks obtained from the breeder receiving HMSeBA had numerically higher (P>0.05) body weight, feed intake and better feed efficiency (P>0.05) than those of maternal receiving selenium yeast. Chicks of the second hatching from the maternal receiving HMSeBA had attained numerically (P>0.05) better growth performance than the group fed Se-Yeast. Additionally, the performance values of the chicks obtained from the both hatching were found to be greatly higher than breeder's expectation in the both trials.