Lice infestation in village chicken and management practices of keepers in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria

O A Opeyemi,K Yusuf,A E Kayode,O Shittu,R A Kadir

doi:10.4038/sljb.v6i1.60

Abstract

Indigenous poultry production is an essential means of sustaining livelihoods in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa where chicken meat augments dietary needs. However, ectoparasites bedevil its wellbeing. Therefore, this study was designed to document local management practices adopted for ectoparasite control among keepers. A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was carried out using pretested questionnaires to obtain bio-data of keepers and information on management practices. Both body and housing of chickens were combed for ectoparasites and preserved. The specimens were processed following standard parasitological methods and subsequently identified using entomological keys. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were employed to process data with statistical significance set at p<0.05. A total of 3,164 birds from 284 keepers (male 69(24.3%), female 215(75.7%)) were examined out of which 1,125 birds (38.7%) were infested (p<0.05). Among the keepers, 61.6% were gainfully employed, 8.8% were farmers and 29.6% solely depended on poultry for sustenance. The species identified include Menacanthus stramineus 297(52.9%), Menopon gallinae 132(23.5%), Lipeurus caponis 88(15.7) and Gonoides gigas 44(7.8%). Two hundred and eighty two (99.3%) keepers had prior knowledge of ectoparasites (p<0.05), 178(62.7%) identified itching as a prominent symptom of infestation and 270(95.1%) adopted local treatment methods. Local treatment methods (91.0% agreed to its reliability) includes; hot ash (42.6%), lime leaves (17.3%) and Azadairactha indica leaves (15.5%). The prevalence of these lice species is an attestation to its ubiquity in our locality and the identified management practices suggests immense understanding of its potential constraints to the overall welfare of chicken.

Highlights

Poultry production is a vital arm of livestock industry as it provides source of meat and egg for the ever growing human population (Angyiereyiri et al, 2015)
A total of 3,164 village chickens from different parts of Ilorin were examined for the presence of ectoparasites and 1,225 birds had one form of lice infestation or the other with a point prevalence of 38.7%
The location and percentage population of different lice species recovered in village chicken is shown in (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Poultry production is a vital arm of livestock industry as it provides source of meat and egg for the ever growing human population (Angyiereyiri et al, 2015). Peridomestic, free range, local, village or backyard poultry production involving the rearing of indigenous domestic fowls (Gallus domesticus) is not uncommon as they serve household needs and constitute about 85% of Nigeria’s poultry production (Ikpeze et al, 2008a; Nnadi and George, 2010). It is characterized by poor management interventions, feed supplementation, housing, predation and disease control. These setbacks are underlying factors for disease outbreaks and parasite infestation which at times culminate in high bird mortality (Ogada et al, 2016)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion