Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Helminth Parasites of the Domestic fowl (Gallus-gallus domesticus) slaughtered in Giwa Market, Giwa Local Government, Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

The free range management system of raising domestic chickens (Gallus-gallus domesticus) especially in the rural areas exposes the birds to diseases when scavenging for food. This research was embarked upon to conduct a survey on the gastrointestinal helminthes that parasitize the intestinal tract of domestic chicken using the floatation method. The gastrointestinal tracts of 200 domestic fowls slaughtered in Giwa market, Giwa Local Government Area Kaduna State were examined for helminth parasites. A total of 163 birds were infected representing 81.5% of the study population. Six helminth parasites were encountered including Raillietina tetragona 48 (24.0%), Raillietina echinobothrida 22 (11.0%), Raillietina cesticillus 7 (3.5%), Hymenolepis carioca 79 (39.5%), Ascaridia galli 34 (17.0%) and Heterakis gallinarum 41(20.5%). Hymenolepis carioca was the most abundant Cestode parasite while Heterakis gallinarum was the most abundant Nematode parasite recovered from the domestic chickens. Seventy nine (39.5%) of the birds had single infection, 68 (34.0%) had double infections, 14 (7.0%) had triple infections and 2(1.0%) harboured four parasites. No single Trematode parasite was recorded. Site preferences by the parasites in the gastrointestinal tract of the birds were small intestine, large intestine and caeca. There was no statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in the infection rate between sexes. Keywords: Prevalence, gastrointestinal parasites, domestic chickens, Gallus-gallus domesticus, Giwa Local Government Area, Kaduna State