Prevalence of Ectoparasites in poultry in Ebinat District, North West Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, poultry production is critical to the country's socioeconomic development. A number of constraints have a negative impact on chicken production in Ethiopia. Among the constraints, external parasitism ranks top in village chicken production. From December 2021 to April 2022, a cross-sectional study design was conducted in Ebinat District with the objectives of identifying the species composition of circulating ectoparasites and estimating their prevalence and assessing the associated risk factors. A simple random sampling procedure was used to select 384 chickens in order to meet these goals. Ectoparasite samples, including shank scrapings, were taken from various body parts and identified to species level using a stereomicroscope. Breed, age, sex, management system, and chicken origin were all identified and recognized as risk factors. The overall prevalence of the current study is 65.6%. The findings of this study revealed that three chicken ectoparasites (lice, flea, and mite) were prevalent in both intensive and backyard production systems. Two mite species, Cnemidocoptes mutans and Dermanyssus gallinae, three species of lice, Lipeurus caponis, Menopon gallinae, and Cuclotogaster heterographus, and one species of flea, Echidnophaga gallinacean, were identified. The prevalence of ectoparasite infestation in chickens, however, had a statistically significant association with sex, management system, and origin (P < 0.05) among the recoded and identified risk factors. Ectoparasites are common in both extensive and semi-intensive chicken production systems, according to the study's findings. This can be the result of disregarding the treatment, control, and hygiene systems. Therefore, it is advised to incorporate ectoparasite control measures and to increase community understanding of the effects ectoparasites have on poultry production.