Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Parasit Vectors. 2024 May 14;17(1):221. doi: 10.1186/s13071-024-06313-6.
The chicken body louse is an obligate ectoparasite of domestic chickens. Chicken body lice feed on feathers, and infestation with this louse is linked to decreases in egg production, hen weight, and feed conversion efficiency. However, it is unknown how chicken body lice impact egg-laying chickens in cage-free environments. Welfare and behavior metrics were collected from flocks of egg-laying chickens either infested with chicken body lice or left uninfested.
In two trials, two flocks of cage-free commercial egg-laying chickens were infested with chicken body lice or maintained as uninfested controls. At three timepoints, behavior and welfare of all chickens was measured. On-animal sensors were used to quantify pecking, preening, and dustbathing behavior. Other animal-based welfare metrics included recording comb wounds and skin lesions.
Birds infested with chicken body lice exhibited significantly more preening behaviors than uninfested birds, even at low louse levels. Moderate or severe skin lesions were detected on birds that were moderately infested with chicken body lice while skin lesions were never detected on uninfested birds.
The welfare of chickens was impacted by the chicken body louse, a chewing louse that primarily feather feeds. Evidence of skin lesions on infested birds suggests that lice may cause more damage to birds than previously thought, and further evaluation of louse economic damage is necessary.
鸡体虱是家鸡的专性外寄生虫。鸡体虱以羽毛为食，感染这种虱子会导致产蛋量、母鸡体重和饲料转化率下降。然而，目前尚不清楚鸡体虱在无笼环境中对蛋鸡的影响。本研究从感染鸡体虱或未感染鸡体虱的蛋鸡群中收集了福利和行为指标。
在两项试验中，将两群无笼商业化蛋鸡感染鸡体虱或作为未感染对照。在三个时间点，对所有鸡的行为和福利进行了测量。通过动物传感器来量化啄食、理羽和沙浴行为。其他基于动物的福利指标包括记录鸡冠伤和皮肤损伤。
感染鸡体虱的鸡比未感染的鸡表现出更多的理羽行为，即使在低虱水平下也是如此。中度或严重的皮肤损伤出现在中度感染鸡体虱的鸡身上，而未感染的鸡身上从未发现皮肤损伤。
鸡的福利受到鸡体虱的影响，鸡体虱是一种以羽毛为食的咀嚼虱。感染鸡身上的皮肤损伤表明，虱子可能对鸡造成的损害比之前认为的要大，因此有必要进一步评估虱子的经济损害。
