Abstract
Supplementation of selenium in poultry feed is required in an optimum dose and form for optimizing the growth performance and health status. Selenium nanospheres are suggested as an efficient and alternative to the conventional organic or inorganic forms. The study evaluated the effects of selenium (Se) nanospheres (SeNPs) as an alternative to organic Se (Sel-Plex(R)) or inorganic Se (sodium selenite, Se(IV Se(IV)) on the growth performance, carcass traits, blood biochemistry, and antioxidative capacity in turkey pullets. A total of 160 1-day-old Bronze turkey poults chicks were divided into four groups with 40 pullets each. The birds were fed on four types of diets as fellow: control (basal diet, 0.01 Se mg/kg), SeNPs (0.43 Se mg/kg), organic Se Sel-Plex(R) (0.41 Se mg/kg), and inorganic Se(IV) (0.42 Se mg/kg) for 8 weeks. No changes were seen in the body weight gain in growing turkey pullet, but chicks fed with Sel-Plex(R) form recorded the lowest feed intake (p < 0.05) compared to other treatments. Dietary SeNPs and Se(IV) selenium sources improved the feed conversion ratio compared to other treatments. All Se forms fed on turkey pullets showed higher carcass percentage weight and liver Se content than the control group. However, the gizzard percentage weight in the SeNPs group was lower than in the other treatments (p < 0.05). Birds fed SeNPs, and Sel-Plex(R) forms supplemental diets had a lower cholesterol concentration (p < 0.05) than the control and Se(IV). While high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration was increased in SeNPs and Se(IV) groups, and total protein concentration was higher in the Se(IV) group. Furthermore, dietary SeNPs reduced (p < 0.05) the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total lipids, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine, uric acid, urea, and malondialdehyde plasma concentrations and increased the glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx) and total antioxidative capacity (TAC). In conclusion, the results confirmed that feeding turkey pullets on SeNPs form with the 0.4 Se mg/kg of feed enhanced feed efficiency, growth performance, carcass traits, plasma lipids concentration, and antioxidative capacity.