Abstract:
The experiment monitored the growth performance of broilers fed with varying levels of Dietary
Selenium to suppress induced oxidative stress from Dexamethasone (Diodex) in their diets.
Synthetic glucocorticoid (dexamethosone) administration mimics the adverse effects of increased
corticosterone, as a mediator of prenatal stress, while supplementation of selenium in broiler
diets is noted to increase antibodies and influence the immune responses through its
incorporation into seleproteins such as the amino acid selencysteine. Moreover, supplementation
of selenium concentration in the diet of broilers is essential for the normal development and
functioning of the immune system of the chickens. A total of 240 day-old-broiler chicks of Oba
Marshal strain were randomly assigned to four treatments in a completely randomized design
(CRD), after two weeks of acclimatization. Each group was further sub-divided into three
replicates of twenty (20) birds per replicate. Four experimental treatments were administered
through intra-muscular injections such that treatment one (T1 served as the control with 0.0mg/kg
of diodex and selenium., Treatment Two (T2), three (T3) and four (T4) received 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9
mg/kg body weight were of dexamethosone and selenium respectively for a period of seven (7)
successive days, while the experiment lasted for 8weeks (56days). Commercial feed (Top feed)
whose energy were about 3000MEkcal|kg and protein contents of 22% were used for the broilers
while water was served ad-libitum. Response parameters evaluated were: Body weight gain, feed
intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), water intake as well as the haematological parameters. Data
collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and differences in means were
subjected to separation using Duncans New Multiple Range Test. Results showed that there were
no significant differences (P>0.05) between the control diet (T1) and diets two (T2) and three
(T3). But, significant differences (P<0.05) existed between treatments four (T4) and the other
three treatments of one, two and three respectively in all the parameters monitored. The results of haematological and serum biochemical indices also followed similar trends. The results of this
experiment suggest that treatment three ((T3) which received 0.6mg/kg of body weight of
selenium appeared to have been the best in performance of final body weight and daily gain
compared to the control and diet Two (T2); while diet four was the poorest. Treatment four birds
had the highest feed intake which was not converted to gain due possibly to the uncontrolled
stress from the dietary treatments. It can be concluded that dietary inclusions in treatment three
(T3) appeared to be the optimum level of inclusion. This was further substantiated from the
lowest mortality result recorded from treatment three (T3).
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