Effect of the Body Louse, Eomenacanthus Stramineus, on Mature Chickens

Abstract

CONTROLLING lice is apparently a problem wherever domestic fowls are maintained and several species are known to parasitize all ages and kinds of fowls under various environmental conditions.Many articles have been published on the importance of keeping fowls free of lice, but very little information is available to show to what extent lice actually injure the productiveness of flocks. Theobald (1896) reported that louse-infested chickens weighed one pound less at the end of a year than non-lousy hens and concluded, therefore, that loss in egg production must also be great. Bishopp (1948) stated that he hestitated to publish results of a single test made in 1923 involving a small number of chickens because the hens kept free of lice during the growing and laying period laid so many more eggs than the hens infested with lice during the same period. In contrast, Warren (1948) presented results indicating that rather . . .