SELECTED BLOOD INDICES OF LAYING CHICKENS AS AFFECTED BY SUPPLEMENTAL SELENIUM AND VITAMIN E

Abstract

Effect of supplemental inorganic selenium and vitamin E on haematological and selected serum biochemical indices of laying chickens was assessed in this study. In a completely randomized design, ISA brown hens (n=192) at week 24 of laying, were assigned to six experimental diets: T1 (Basal diet), T2 (Basal diet + 0.5mg selenium/kg), T3: Basal diet + 1.0mg selenium/kg, T4 (Basal diet + 1.5mg selenium/kg), T5 (Basal diet + 20mg vitamin E/kg), T6 (Basal diet + 40mg vitamin E/kg). Each treatment was replicated four times with eight birds per replicate. At week 24 (early laying phase), blood was sampled from hens and analysed. Increased supplemental selenium and vitamin E did not affect (P>0.05) serum superoxide dismutase, aspartate amino transferase and phosphorus. Also, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cells (RBC), haemoglobin (HB) and blood differential counts were not affected (P>0.05). However, serum calcium (mg/dL) was lowered from 11.60 in T1 to 6.83 in T4, increased vitamin E inclusion did not alter serum calcium level. Also, treatments had significant effects on alkaline phosphatase (ALP), catalase and alanine amino transferase (ALT). In this study, increased supplemental selenium and vitamin E affected blood indices in irregular trend.