title: Influence of exposure period and management methods on the effectiveness of chickens as predators of ticks infesting cattle.
abstract: Experiments undertaken on Rusinga Island, Kenya, indicated that Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Neumann) was the predominant tick consumed on tick-infested cattle by chickens, followed by Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius), Boophilus decoloratus (Koch) and Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (Neumann). The number of ticks consumed by chickens released with cattle in a 3 h release period was not significantly different from ticks consumed in a 4 h release period. In a free management system, chickens 1-3 months of age consumed more ticks than older ones; in a confined management system however, chickens 4-6 months of age consumed more ticks than younger birds. Although the numbers of ticks consumed by local and exotic breeds of chickens were not significantly different, a period of 8-10 weeks was necessary for the exotic breeds to become behaviorally adapted to tick predation on cattle. Local chickens bred in environments where cattle were absent took a shorter period of 4-6 weeks to adapt. It was concluded that the relatively large number of ticks consumed by each chicken during the 3 or 4 h release period is an indication that a good reduction of ticks on cattle can be achieved through tick predation by chickens. The preponderance of R. appendiculatus over other tick species consumed was a reflection of its relative abundance on cattle on the island rather than a selective preference for tick species.
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Dipeolu
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Munyinyi
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D013997:Time Factors