One of the largest managerial problems facing poultry producers is pest control, poultry operations can be infested by pest and parasites but by implementing integrated pest control measures poultry farmers can minimize the damages. 

How do parasites affect my Poultry business?

 A parasite is an organism that lives in or  on  another organism called host for survival, without a host, a parasite cannot live, grow and multiply . for this reason, it  rarely kills the host  but can spread diseases and some of this is fatal 

A parasite can make a flock susceptible to disease  and worsen current disease condition, leading  to;

• Loss of income 
• Reduced production 
• Increase the cost of production

Do pests cause disease?

Many are the questions that every farmer need to know about the effect of the parasite to chicken, parasite are classified into two categories depending on where they are found

EXTERNAL PARASITES

These are parasites found outside the body. They include lice, fleas, mites beetles, flies, and bedbug

Flies

effects

• Flies cause public health nuisance, resulting  in poor community relations
• Vector of  both human  and poultry diseases  and leave flyspecks on eggs
• It is an  intermediate host  for common tapeworm in chicken

Flies can be properly managed by 

• Proper drainage
• Proper sanitization
• Manure management
• Biological control
• Use of insecticides
• Mechanical control{use of fly traps

 Mites

They are blood feeders in chicken.

Effects

• A heavy infestation can reduce egg production
• Reduced weight gain leading to stunted growth
• They burrow into the skin causing itching leading to feather plucking
• They annoy egg handlers

Control

• Dusting with an appropriate insecticide
• spraying with ivermectins, poultry guard, or any pyrethrum based insecticide.

Fleas

Occasionally found in poultry houses and noticed in a litter where a wide range of hosts are found. 

Effects

• Annoy poultry handlers causing itchy spots
• Reduce egg production
• Stunted growth
• Cause anemia

Control

• Dusting/spraying
• Proper sanitization

Beetles

They are usually associated with poultry feeds ie cereals, grains, products that are dump, moldy, and out of condition.

Effects

• Nuisance in poultry operations 
• Compete for feeds with chicken
• Transmit marks disease to chicken

Control 

• Application of appropriate insecticides

Lice

They are introduced to the farm through infested equipment or by galliform birds.

Effects

• Decreased reproductive potential in male
• Reduced egg production in female
• Reduced weight gain
• They cause skin irritation  predisposing birds to bacterial infections

Control

• Spray  with pyrethroids{pyrethrum based insecticides}
• Dusting

Mosquitoes

They feed on poultry blood.

Effects

• Reduced egg production
• Transmit viral diseases
• Death in severe cases

Control

• Remove mosquito breeding habitats
• Use insecticides 
• Spraying and fogging poultry houses

INTERNAL PARASITES

these are parasites that live inside the host. They are classified into two;

Worms-roundworms, tapeworms, and gapeworms

Protozoa

Roundworms

Effects

• They damage organs like digestive tract, trachea, and eyes
• Reduction of nutrient absorption
• Intestinal blockages
• in severe cases causes death
• Thickening and inflammation of the mucus membrane
• Inflammation, hemorrhages, and erosion of the intestinal lining
• Reduced growth, egg production, and fertility
• Cause death 

Control

• Deworming 
• Proper sanitization

Tapeworms

They require an intermediate host to complete its life cycle. for caged birds they have  houseflies as their intermediate host, litter raised birds  have termites and beetles as their host and free ranged birds have snail and earthworms as their intermediate host

Effects

• Unthriftness
• Poor growth
• Poor feed conversion
• Severe cases cause death

Control

• Control intermediate host

Protozoan

The most common protozoan parasite in chicken is coccidia which causes coccidiosis.

Effects

• Increased birds susceptibility to other poultry diseases
• Live and reproduce in the digestive tract causing  tissue damage which affects nutrient and fluid absorption causing diarrhea and blood losses

Control

• Proper hygiene
• use of feeds with anticoccidiostats

RODENTS

Rats and Mice

They are the most destructive pests which cause; damages to poultry directly by burrowing nature, gnawing habits, consumption of poultry feeds, eggs, and chicks.

Effects

• They contaminate poultry feeds through their urine, fecal matter and hair
• Transmit various  poultry  diseases to chicken and workers eg salmonellosis and coryza
• Nuisance through noise and movement

Control

• Inspection and assessing rodent pest infestation in the poultry house
• prevent entry inside the poultry house
• Rat proof walls
• Trapping
• Clearing bushes around the poultry house
• Proper sanitization
• Bait placement
• Use of rodenticides