Summer has arrived, and the chicken lice that give poultry farmers the most headaches have appeared again. Chicken lice belong to the family Menoponidae and are common external parasites of poultry, mainly living on chickens’ feathers and skin. They are small: males are 1.7–1.9 millimeters long, and females are 1.8–2.1 millimeters long. The head has reddish-brown markings.
I. First, let’s look at the occurrence patterns of chicken lice infestation:
1. Infestation can occur throughout the year, with autumn being a particularly common period for chicken lice. When the temperature reaches 25°C, they can reproduce a generation every 6 days. Humans, livestock, and poultry (especially laying hens and breeding chickens at farms that have raised chickens for many years) are all susceptible to lice.
2. During the day, chicken lice hide in cracks in walls, perches, and egg-laying boxes, as well as in loose, dry manure, and lay eggs and reproduce in these places. At night, they crawl in groups onto chickens to bite and suck blood. Each feeding lasts a little over an hour, after which they leave once engorged.
3, when there are many chicken lice, chickens become anemic and lose weight, and egg production decreases significantly. If the nesting area is relatively dark during the day, lice will also go onto the chickens to suck their blood, causing the chickens to be reluctant to enter and lay eggs. If chicks are severely infested, they may die from substantial blood loss. Adult and nymphal lice climb onto chickens at night to suck their blood; at other times, they hide in cracks in the chicken coop. Adults can withstand starvation and survive without feeding on blood for 82–113 days.
二、Let’s learn about the harm caused by chicken lice.
1, chicken lice feed mainly on chickens’ feathers, down, and skin flakes, causing intense itching and restlessness; they also sometimes feed on blood from injured areas.
2, heavy infestation can cause chickens to lose weight, impede their growth and development, and reduce egg production.
III. What preventive and control measures should be taken against chicken lice?
（1）To control the spread of chicken lice, the poultry house, cages, feeding and watering equipment, and the surrounding environment must be thoroughly disinfected.
(2) For newly affected flocks, strengthen isolation, inspection, and lice control. Use 5% sodium chloride, 0.5% trichlorfon (to prevent poisoning), 1% pyrethrin, 0.05% fly poison, or similar products.
(3) Grind camphor balls into a powder. After the chickens have roosted at night, spread it evenly in the chicken coop. Check the chickens after three days. If live lice are still present, use the same method with a larger amount for a second treatment to eliminate all the lice in the coop and on the chickens. If the chickens have many lice, you can also rub camphor powder onto their bodies, working it into the feathers, for better control.