Assistant Professor of Entomology University of California Riverside, California
Chickens can host a variety of arthropod ectoparasites. Ectoparasites can directly impact chickens through their blood feeding, an indirectly impact egg production and feed conversion efficiency. But, how do ectoparasites impact chicken behavior? In a series of studies, we show that northern fowl mites and chicken body lice can impact some chicken behavior. These impacts vary by ectoparasite species. This information can be used to better understand how ectoparasites impact their hosts, and behaviors may be a future monitoring tool.
