The effects of dietary selenium on productive and reproductive performance, tibial quality, and antioxidant capacity in laying duck breeders

Abstract This study evaluated the optimal concentrations of dietary Selenium (Se) for the productive and reproductive performance, tibial quality, and antioxidant status in duck breeders aged 23 to 49 wk. In total, 432 Longyan duck breeders aged 22 wk were allotted randomly to 6 treatments, each with 6 replicates of 12 individually caged birds. The experiment lasted for 27 wk, and birds fed corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 0.11, 0.19, 0.27, 0.35, 0.43, or 0.51 mg Se/ kg, respectively. The tested dietary Se levels did not affect egg production and tibial quality of duck breeders. The Se contents of the shell, yolk or albumin, whole egg, and the fertility of set eggs were boosted in a linear and quadratic manner (P 0.19 mg Se/ kg diet enhanced the antioxidant capacity in breeders and their offspring. The regression model indicated that the dietary Se levels 0.19, 0.27, 0.28, 0.24 and 0.30 mg/kg are optimal levels to obtain maximum Se deposition efficiency in eggs, egg fertility, Gpx1 activity in erythrocytes and liver in duck breeders, and plasma activity of Gpx3 in newly hatched ducklings, respectively.