Assessment of ectoparasitic infestation in chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in the Sunyani west district, Ghana

Assessment of ectoparasitic infestation in chickens raised under intensive care system was un- dertaken to determine their prevalence in three poultry farms in the Sunyani West District of Ghana from December, 2011 to April, 2012. With the aid of a magnifying glass, various body areas of chickens were examined for the presence of ectoparasites. All matured chickens aged 72 to 82 weeks harboured lice species identified to be Menacanthus stramineus and Menopon galli- nae. Co-infestations with chicken mite, Dermanyssusgallinae, in 43.8% and 36.5% of matured chickens from Farms 2 and 3 respectively were observed. However, lower lice infestation in growers aged 24 to 40 weeks from Farms 1 (72%), 2 (62.7%) and 3 (73.3%), and no mite infesta- tion were observed. All growers from the three farms had significantly higher prevalence in the ventral, wing, cloacal and tail areas compared with femoral, head and neck areas of their bodies. In Farm 1, the cloacal and tail areas of chickens had significantly higher prevalence than the head and neck areas (χ2 (1) = 176.74, p< 0.001). The study revealed high prevalence of ectopara- sitic infestation in chickens of all age groups in all the poultry farms. This threatens their health and productive potential as well as the viability of the poultry industry. Regular examination of the highly infested body areas may help poultry farmers detect and control ectoparasitic infesta- tion or re-infestation early to maintain good health and increase the productive potential of chickens in the Sunyani West District.