Performance, duodenal morphology and histopathology of broiler liver fed diets containing different levels of organic selenium in heat stress conditions

Abstract

The research was conducted to evaluate the performance, duodenal morphology and histopathological changes in the liver of broilers fed diets containing different levels of selenium (0.5, 1.1, 1.7, 2.3, 2, 9 and 3.5ppm Se / kg diet), created in the period 1-21 days old, under heat stress conditions. The birds were isonutritives diets based on corn and soybean meal, formulated to meet the nutritional requirements, except for selenium. From a basic diet supplementation of selenium was taken, such as use of selenomethionine (Sel - Plex®). Seven hundred and twenty chicks of mixed lineage Ross 308, were used in a randomized complete block design with six treatments and six replicates of twenty birds each. The internal environment of the sheds was evaluated based on the Temperature Index Black Globe Humidity (BGT), the Temperature and Humidity Index (THI) and Effective Temperature (ET). The use of organic selenium supplementation in the diet of broilers improves feed conversion, but does not interfere in the length parameter crypt and villus height and does not promote inflammation in the liver of these, in both levels.