45 45 LOHMANN › MANAGEMENT GUIDE Health Parasites Parasites are a common problem in free range systems. Internal parasites which are easily ingested not only damage the intestinal tract but will affect the absorption of nutrients from the feed, both of which can lead to a variety of issues: › Poor body weight gain and uniformity. › Increased susceptibility to challenges. › Loss of production. › Cannibalism and mortality. Common Parasites Roundworms: Ascaridia Galli › The most common. › Adults are often easy to see. › White-yellow in colour about 5–11 cm long. › Often found in the small intestine. Cecal worm: Heterakis gallinae › Small, white hard to see. › Will be found in the ceca. › Earthworms a vector. › Fairly harmless but can carry Histomonas Meleagridis which can lead to Blackhead. Hairworm: Capillaria › Lives in the small intestine and sometimes ceca. › Small and hard to see. Monitoring Worm eggs are often found in litter, soil and faeces. Routine monitoring should be undertaken either via worm egg counts or Post mortem. Chart showing monitoring Larvae and worms program
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