Chicken body louse
The chicken body louse is an ectoparasite commonly found on chickens and small birds, belonging to the Menoponidae family and scientifically classified as Menacanthus stramineus. These small, flattened insects live among the feathers of their hosts, feeding on skin flakes, feathers, blood, and skin secretions. Unlike sucking lice, chicken body lice have chewing mouthparts that enable them to bite and chew their food. Their bodies are characterized by a long, oval-shaped abdomen with sensory hairs, a narrow thorax, and six strong legs equipped with claws for gripping.
Chicken body lice can cause irritation to their hosts, leading to skin redness and discomfort that may affect a chicken's ability to eat and maintain weight. In addition to the chicken body louse, there are other louse species that target different areas of a chicken’s body, including the chicken head louse and chicken wing louse. Female lice lay their eggs among feathers, securing them with a fast-drying cement. After a few weeks, the lice undergo several molts before reaching adulthood. For those who raise chickens, monitoring for signs of infestation is essential for effective management and treatment.
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Chicken body louse
Chicken body lice are ectoparasites that feed on chickens and small birds. The chicken louse lives among the feathers of chickens and feeds on their feathers and skin. It is the most common type of louse found on chickens throughout the world.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Anthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Psocodea
Family: Menoponidae
Genus: Menacanthus
Species: Stramineus
The chicken body louse is just one of the 5,000 species of lice worldwide. This tiny insect is a parasite and receives its name because it lives primarily on the bodies of chickens though it has also been known to live on other birds. A parasite is an animal or plant which lives on or inside another animal or plant, called a host, and feeds on the host's body or food.
The largest part of the chicken body louse's body is its long, flattened, oval-shaped abdomen, or tail section. This section has several small ring-like segments and is covered with sensory hairs. In front of the abdomen is a small, narrow thorax, or mid-body section. Attached to this are the louse's six strong, short legs, each with two claws. The louse's head is large and spade-shaped. It has two short antennae for detecting its surroundings. Its mouth is strong for biting its host and hanging on tightly. The overall length of the chicken body louse is a few millimeters.
Like all other lice which infect birds, this louse is a chewing louse. This means its mouthparts are designed to bite and chew, as opposed to other lice species which have sucking mouthparts and are called sucking lice. The diet of the chicken body louse is skin flakes, feathers, blood, and skin secretions. The chicken body louse has microscopic organisms called bacteria inside its stomach to help it digest blood and skin protein, called keratin.
This species is not the only louse to feed on chickens. Other types of lice feed on other parts of the chicken's body, like the chicken head louse (Cuclotogasta heterographa), the chicken wing louse (Lipeurus caponis), and the chicken shaft louse (Menopon gallinae), which live and feed on the feather shafts of chickens. Each one's body design, lifestyle, and ability to move are suited to where it lives and help it avoid the chickens' beaks and feet when the chickens are grooming.
The chicken body louse irritates the chickens and causes their skin to become red when it feeds. This causes the chickens to scratch. A chicken may be so irritated that it is not able to eat and loses weight. People who raise chickens need to keep a constant watch for signs of the chicken louse so they can treat the chickens and kill the louse.
The female louse deposits her egg clumps among the feathers of the chicken and attaches them with hard, fast-drying cement. The young break small holes in the tops of their shells and swallow air when they begin hatching. They then build air pressure in the lower parts of their shells by passing the air through their anuses, or rear ends. When the pressure is great enough, it pushes the young out of the shells. After molting, or shedding their skins, three times they become adults. The life span of the chicken louse is at least a few weeks.
Bibliography
“Chicken Body Louse.” Field Guide to Common Texas Insects, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, texasinsects.tamu.edu/chicken-body-louse/. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
Murillo, Amy, and Alex Gerry. “Chicken Lice.” Veterinary Entomology, www.veterinaryentomology.org/chicken-lice. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
Murillo, Amy C. “Lice of Poultry.” Merck Veterinary Manual, 21 Mar. 2024, www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/ectoparasites/lice-of-poultry. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.