Cross Sectional Study of Poultry Coccidiosis in Adele Poultry Farm, Eastern Hararghe, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: This study was to determine the number of chickens in intensively managed poultry farms and to assess the relationship between the number of chickens and risk factors in specific poultry farm. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Adele town between December 2014 and November 2015. The presence of oocysts in the fecal samples was examine by floatation methods and post-mortem examinations looked for intestinal lesions. Results: Out of the 262 chicken sample sources examined, 29 (11.01%) were positive for coccidian oocysts, and out of the 84 total Environmental sample source examined, 12 (14.4%) were positive for coccidian parasites. There were no statistically significant differences in prevalence across the sample type and source (p greater than 0.05). There were no changes in the prevalence of coccidiosis between the sexes of birds. Pless than 0.05 indicates a statistically significant difference between the age groups. Furthermore, a strong correlation was found between the sample times. The prevalence of coccidia was considerably higher in chicks than in adults (P less than 0.05). The environment had a greater prevalence of coccidiosis than faeces did. Of the environmental samples, the majority of coccidial infections are linked to management issues, and the prevalence of water and feed is higher than that of litter material. Conclusions: This study showed that coccidiosis is a significant disease affecting poultry in the studied area and that effective control measures must be developed to reduce the illness's impact.