Dietary Vitamin E and Selenium Supplementation Mitigates Saline Drinking Water-Induced Stress in Crossbred Muscovy Ducks.

This study evaluated the effects of vitamin E and selenium supplementation on growth efficiency and physiological adaptation of Muscovy ducks consuming diluted seawater. The experiment used a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replicates, including fresh water (FW); diluted seawater at 0.45% (DSW); S1: DSW supplemented with vitamin E (20 mg/kg diet) and selenium (0.3 mg/kg diet); S2: DSW supplemented with vitamin E (40 mg/kg diet) and selenium (0.6 mg/kg diet). The results showed that dry matter intake and blood biochemical parameters were not affected by the treatments. Ducks consuming DSW had increased water intake and water-to-feed ratio at week 6 (p < 0.05). Body weight and weight gain at Week 6 decreased in the DSW group compared with the FW and S2 groups (p < 0.05). Carcass characteristics and chemical composition were not affected by the treatments. However, abdominal fat percentage was lowest in the S2 group, whereas the color of the thigh and drumstick meat improved in this group (p < 0.05). Salt gland width and weight were significantly higher in the S2 group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing with vitamin E (40 mg/kg) and selenium (0.6 mg/kg diet) is an effective way to reduce salinity-induced stress in Muscovy ducks.