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. 1989 Dec 1;30(4):371–378. doi: 10.1186/BF03548012

Excessive Dietary Selenium to Primiparous Sows and their Offspring

I. Influence on reproduction and growth

Hanne Damgaard Poulsen 1,✉, Viggo Danielsen 1, Thomas Krogh Nielsen 1, Conny Wolstrup 1
PMCID: PMC8142216  PMID: 2640772

Abstract

The effect of high dietary selenium (Se) on the reproductive performance, growth and health in pigs was examined. Addition of 0 to 16 mg Se per kg feed to sows and their piglets up to nine weeks of age did not cause any manifest toxic effect. None of the sows died due to the Se treatment. The piglets were all fullborn and showed no macroscopic abnormalities. The treatment did not influence neither the number of liveborn and stillborn piglets in the litter, nor the survival of the piglets until 9 weeks of age. The weight of the whole litter at birth was unaffected by the Se supplementation, while there was a significant difference in body weight of the piglets at 9 weeks of age. The weaned pigs receiving 8 or 16 mg Se per kg feed had a reduced feed intake. As the feed utilization was unaffected by treatment, these pigs had a significantly lower weight at 9 weeks of age.

Keywords: Selenium toxicity, selenosis, piglets, postnatal development

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Acknowledgments

This study received financial support from “Research Officer R. Nortoft Thomsen’s Foundation”. For assistance in the clinical examinations of the sows and piglets, the authors thank dr. N. C. Nielsen, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen. For advice concerning the reproductive performance thanks are due to Dr. L. H. Hansen, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen.

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