Poohoedy are small parasites that live in feathers and down of birds, grinding off feather cover. These parasites are popularly called chicken lice. The damage is the same as lice. Poohoedy do not drink the blood of birds, but prefer to eat feathers and downy feathers. Poohoids are parasites that also eat dead skin flakes, and some drink blood droplets that appear when the chicken combes the skin.
Insect description
Poohoedy are parasites that live under feathers on the skin of a bird. Mature insects up to 2.5 mm in size, beige or amber, are therefore clearly visible on the body of a bird.
The jaws are located on the inside of the head. The Amblyocera subspecies has highly developed palps of the lower jaw, ropalich antennae articulated from 4-5 segments. Typically, antennas are located in a depression. In insects of the subspecies Ischnocera, the palps are manked, the antennae are filiform and grow along the edges of the head. The forehead is developed with a frontal bulge, by which the eater divides the hairs of down feathers when moving. The antennae are short. The eyes are set together and enclose only 1-2 facets.
Poohoedy are ectoparasites of birds (poohoedy and cannibals). 2550 species live in the world, 400 in Russia. This is a nimble insect. In females, the body is flat with a triangular head and strong mandibles (gnawing mouth apparatus), chewing both fluff and feather.
The breast is distinctly divided. Prothorax (prothorax) freely moving. There are no wings, due to the parasitic mode of existence. Feet are strong, running for Amblyocera and Ischnocera, adapted for mounting on the plumage. On spur shanks for additional fastening on feather hairs.
The integument is slender and flexible, which protects insects from flattening by the beak of a nurse. A photo of a poo-eater clearly demonstrates the structure of his body.
Partial handling. The complete evolution of the parasite takes place on the bird. Females lay eggs in heaps, strengthening the clutch with secretion on the bird's plumage. The eggs are endowed with a lid. A larva is hatched from them, which after 18-20 days is transformed into an adult adult insect.
Symptoms of ectoparasite infection
Infection combines typical symptoms:
- The constant scratching of hens, and the desire to pluck out all the feathers.
- The presence of bald spots on the body.
- Small holes at the base of the feathers that got out of the hens.
- Loss of hunger and body weight.
- Slow development of the young generation of chickens.
- Decrease in ability to lay eggs.
Infection pathways
Lepidoptera from chickens are brought from wild birds by means of compound feed or grain, they can be infected on the perch or in the mud in the fence for walking, in the nest. Chickens living in enclosed spaces, where insects penetrate on a person’s robe, are also infected. Poohoedy are parasites that cause malophagosis disease. Rapid transmission of the disease in the house is facilitated by:
- Covered chicken coops with a heated and humid atmosphere.
- Dirty flooring.
- Cramped chicken coop.
- Communication with wild birds and free walks on the street.
The danger of poo-eaters
Visible damage from parasites is a decrease in the laying capacity of chickens. Insects weaken the body of the chicken and inhibit natural activity.
For exotic-colorful species of chickens, the presence of ectoparasites is annoying with the destruction of the plumage splendor and the appearance of bald sections of the body. Feathers become faded and lifeless. Bare skin becomes a center of infection by germs. Wounds occur on the skin, dust eats up and bacteria that cause infectious diseases are introduced.
Parrots at the parrot
Lop-eaters attack parrots living in cages, and if sanitary rules for keeping birds are not respected. In a budgerigar, feathers eaten by parasites seem to be streaked with holes like on a sewing machine. Biocycle formation of the insect 21-28 days. Parasites live on feathers for a couple of months, eating feathers and epithelial tissues.
When infected, the bird is alarmed, itches, shakes itself every minute, does not sleep and does not eat. The feathers are dull and stick out randomly. On the head, under the wings, on the abdomen appear bald patches of skin, strewn with ulcers. Due to the small body weight of the parrot, it is difficult to fight ectoparasites, the bird badly tolerates biocidal chemicals and dies with an overdose.
How to remove parasites
It is difficult to get rid of parasites. Fighting insects takes from 30 days to six months. Having started treatment late, it is easy to overcome the beetle. Nowadays, they fight parasites with two methods: chemical and folk.
Chemicals against poohoot
Chemical etching promptly affects eater. The poison acts on the nerve cells of insects and provokes death. These poisons do not affect the health of the chicken.
The following remedies are popular:
- "Leopard". The drug is prescribed for cats and dogs, but is effectively put to use for etching parasites on hens. The composition of the chemical includes peritroid permethrin, which exterminates many varieties of ectoparasites. The composition is smeared with chicken head.
- "To here." An agent in the form of an aerosol to eliminate lice in humans, but is also used on birds. Watering feathers of a bird. The tool is expensive, therefore, used with a small number of chickens in the courtyard.
- Butox. The drug acts on all kinds of ectoparasites. The substance from the ampoule is dissolved in a liquid and sprayed onto the feathers of birds. The house is also disinfected with butox, diluting 1 ml of the chemical per 1 liter of liquid.
- Front Line A chemical in the form of an aerosol sprinkled on the plumage of chickens. Mature insects die from the composition. To consolidate the achieved result, one more chicken treatment is done after 1 week.
- Stronghold. The drug is smeared with a scruff of birds.
- "Insectol". Foam spray spray. The composition is sprayed under the wings and tail.
- Arpalit. Biocidal aerosol. Protects birds from secondary infection by insects.
Folk remedies
In addition to insecticidal formulations, folk treatment methods help from poohooters:
- Kerosene is mixed with water, vinegar and bathe birds.
- Dissolve ammonia, kerosene and benzene. Parasites run away from only one flavor of the mixture.
- A mixture of ash and sand. Birds floundering in the mixture brush off insects.
- Powder plumage of hens is dusted with powder from a ground root of the hellebore white and branches of a leafless blackberry. The powder is toxic and is used with caution.
- In the chicken coop they lay on the grass floor: chamomile, tansy, ledum, wormwood. The infusion of these herbs daily washed feathers of chickens. This is the most effective tool against poohoot in chickens and young animals. Herbs are used to prevent disease, and not with a strong infection.
Infection prevention
To prevent infection, they do heat treatment of the house, monitor the cleanliness of the room, often change the layout, limit contact with free birds, periodically arrange for birds to bathe in a mixture of sand and ash, examine the feather cover of the birds, monitor the slightest change in the behavior of the pets.
If you adhere to the rules of keeping birds, be able to recognize signs and immediately treat the disease, then the appearance of eaters on the home yard does not threaten and the birds will be healthy and beautiful.