Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Selenium Enriched Yeast on Egg Selenium Content and Egg production of North China Hens.

This study determined the effect of dietary supplementation with selenium enriched yeast on egg selenium levels and egg production of North China laying hens. Healthy 60-week-old hens (n = 160) were randomly divided into four experimental groups and fed a basal diet supplemented with selenium enriched yeast at differing levels: 0.0 mg/kg (control group), 0.3 mg/kg (low-dose group), 0.6 mg/kg (medium-dose group) and 1.2 mg/kg (high-dose group). Each experimental group had four cohorts and each cohort had 10 hens. Experimental diets were fed for 28 d and daily egg production was recorded. Eggs were collected every seven days for determination of egg white, egg yolk and total egg selenium using hydride generationatomic fluorescence spectrometry. Selenium dietary supplementation significantly increased egg white, egg yolk and total egg levels, as well as daily egg production (P < 0.05). During the study, egg white, egg yolk and total egg selenium, as well as egg production, initially increased for low- and medium-dose groups and then plateaued. In contrast, these parameters initially increased and subsequently decreased for the high-dose group. Increasing levels of selenium supplementation proportionately increased egg white, egg yolk and total egg selenium levels, as well as egg production (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with selenium enriched yeast increases the egg white, egg yolk and total egg selenium levels, as well as egg production of North China hens (P < 0.05). This effect increased with increasing levels of supplementation with selenium enriched yeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]