Insects associated with chicken manure in a breeder poultry farm of Central Chile

Abstract

Insects are common in poultry facilities and different biosecurity measures are enforced to prevent their spread due to the fact that they may carry pathogenic agents. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to know what insects are commonly present in poultry sheds to optimize control protocols. Since information on this subject is scarce, this investigation aimed to determine the main insect taxa present in chicken manure on a major poultry farm in Central Chile. Samples of hen manure were collected at a poultry farm in the Region of Valparaíso, Chile, from areas adjacent to feeding lines and water reservoirs. Samples were chilled, transported to the laboratory and processed for taxonomic classification of both adult and immature stages of insects. Results indicated a marked colonization of the beetle Alphitobius diaperinus and of the dipterans Fannia sp., compared to other six families of insects that were also determined. About 94% of the insects found in chicken manure were present in samples from areas adjacent to water reservoirs. Therefore, leaks from water supply devices become a critical point of control of these entomological poultry pests that have been reported to carry a variety of viral, bacterial and eukaryotic parasites.