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Two weeks old chicks at Jalyn Poultry Farm in Kitengela. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Dear Dr Messo

My birds have been infested by fleas; I have tried eradication using powdered products but with little success. My egg production is going down and the birds are not finishing their feed. What else can I do to help the situation?

Collins, Kisii

Dear Collins

Ectoparasites in poultry is a major problem witnessed in our warm tropical climate mainly in chicken and turkey, leading to high economical losses to commercial farmers especially those keeping long-living birds. Fleas and Red mites are particularly notorious in backyard flocks that are in frequent contact with the wildlife as they go foraging around.

For layer flocks intensively raised in cages, the parasites cause irritation, scratching, loss of blood (anemia) resulting into poor feed intake, low egg production and in growing flocks loss in weights and poor flock uniformity. Some act as conduits via which disease-causing organisms are spread into a healthy flock particularly Fowl Pox and Fowl Typhoid. These organisms are small, tiny bugs that attach to host skin, feeding on their tissues or blood. Some examples include lice, ticks, bedbugs, mites, and fleas.

How to identify them in a flock

The best time to identify these parasites is during the night and in darkness, using a torch, you can flash them out from the body of the birds especially in the vent or cloacal area, feathers and under the breast and the thighs, light is known to stimulate their movement. The mites are blood-sucking organisms that generally like feeding at night and retire in the daytime in cracks and crevices of poultry units. Due to this nocturnal behavior, farmers looking for their presence during the day will not see them. The mites may burrow below the skin surface or scales of the feet leading to thickening of affected areas, they appear grey and flat when hungry and black and engorged after feeding. Fleas mainly breed outside the host in crevices and cracks in the poultry unit for many months. It breeds in nests and litter and is on the birds only to feed. The larval stages burrow into the skin of the host particularly turkey and cause painful irritation. The adult flea lives on the soil and is very difficult to see them but very easy to kill using the right disinfectant or insecticide.

How to control these parasites

Once the flocks are infested, it is generally difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to get rid of them, so the most appropriate plan is to prevent the introduction of the bugs right before restocking.

Cleaning and disinfection

The most important control measure is through a foolproof cleaning and disinfection program, this involves complete removal of old litter and disposal 1km away from the site. This is followed by a good wet cleaning using water and multipurpose detergent. Terminal disinfection with a potent aldehyde-based product is then applied according to manufacturer recommendations.

Keep birds free from infestation

Do not mix free-ranging backyard flocks near highly valued commercial flocks in the same compound. The houses should be at least 100 meters apart if you must keep different ages in one site. Source your chicks from parasite-free farms, especially if you rely on buying pullets at point of lay. Make sure the birds are transported in clean and disinfected trucks and keep flocks away from each other if they are of different ages. In some cases, these bugs are brought in on contaminated egg trays or crates, make sure these are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before allowing them into the site for egg collection.

Chemical treatment of affected flocks

Numerous organophosphorus (e.g., Malathion) compounds are available and can be used in the environment and on the birds. Some acaricides may be toxic for birds or maybe traceable in the meat or eggs, so do not use them without consulting your Vet, sprays are good on treating birds or buildings while diatomaceous earth is effective for treating litter.

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How to control flea infestation - The Standard