How Much Seleniun is in this Diet?

May 2011 Issue of Forage for Thought

 

 

How much total Selenium is in the diet below:

  • 22 lbs of grass hay that contains 0.05 ppm Selenium,
  • 1 ounce of a vitamin/mineral supplement that contains 9 ppm of Selenium, and
  • 2 lbs of a commercial feed that contains 0.6 ppm Selenium

 

(For international readers, 22 lbs is equivalent to 10 kgs; 1 ounce is equivalent to 28.4 grams; and 2 lbs is equivalent to 0.91 kgs)

 

 

Answer:

 

1. Selenium in 22 lbs of grass hay with 0.05 ppm of Se

 

22 lbs multiplied by 0.454 = 10 kg (rounded up from 9.99 kg)

0.05 mg/kg (or ppm) X 10 kg = 0.5 mg of Selenium

 

 

2. Selenium in 1 ounce of vitamin/mineral supplement that contains 9 ppm of Se

 

0.454 kg in one pound. 0.454 divided by 16 = 0.0284 kg in one ounce

0.0284 kg X 9 mg/kg (ppm) = 0.26 mg of Se

 

 

3. Selenium in 2 lbs of commercial feed that contains 0.6 ppm Se

 

2 lbs multiplied by 0.454 = 0.91 kg

0.91 kg X 0.6 mg/kg (ppm) = 0.55 mg Se

 

TOTAL amount of Selenium = 0.5 mg (grass hay) + 0.26 mg (supplement) + 0.55 mg (commercial feed) = 1.31 mg