PREVALENCE AND IDENTIFICATION OF HELMINTH PARASITES OF LOCAL CHICKENS OF ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Five hundred and seventy-six local free-range chickens were examined for helminth parasites, colour types, sex, weight , and   Packed Cell Volume (PCV) from May 2003 to February 2004. Most birds were brown  (39.1%), while 25% were black, grey (12.5%), white and pattern (mixed) colour types had 6.2% and 17.2%, respectively. Female and male chickens accounted for 64.1% and 35.9% respectively. The mean weight of the birds was 0.61kg, in which light birds (0.10-0.60kg) accounted for 53.1% of bird examined, and heavy birds (0.61-1.3kg) were 46%.. The mean PCV value was 30.73. Twenty (20) helminth parasites were recorded with Ascaridia galli having the highest prevalence (73.4%), followed by Rallietina tetragona (64%), Rallietina cesticllius (56.3%), Davania proglottina (50%), Tetrameres Americana (46.8%), Rallietina echnioboitrida (35.9%), Choanotaenia influndibulum (32.80%), Capillaria cortorta (31.25%), Strongyloides avlum (31.25%), Hymenolepsis carioca (28.1%), Amoebotaenia cumeata (28.1%), Amoebotenia sphenoides (25%), Heterakis gallinarum (21.8%), symhimentus sp. (15.6%), Fimbriaria sp. (15.6%), syngamus trachea (12.5%), Trichinella sp. (9.37%),Capillaria annulata (7.8%), and Dispharynt spiralis (4.68%). Worms were recovered from three different alimentary sections with the intestine/caeca accounting for 14 (70%) of the 20 helminth spceies , 5(20%) were recovered from the proventiculus, while trachea accounted for only one (5%) species.