Lice

Poultry lice include the chicken shaft louse, Menopon gallinae, the chicken body louse, Menacanthus stramineus, the chicken head louse, Cuclotogaster heterographa, and the large turkey louse, Chelopistes meleagridis. These pests feed by chewing the skin or feathers of poultry, causing the birds discomfort and aggravation, and sometimes resulting in unfeathered patches of skin. As a result, the birds lay relatively few eggs, grow poorly, and are susceptible to stress-induced diseases. Young chickens can be killed by louse infestations, while adults may develop a droopy-wing symptom.

Wild birds have a different type of lice, such as the louse, Esthiopterum crassicorne, which is a parasite of the blue-winged teal, Anas discors, a native species of duck.

The cow-biting louse, Bovicola bovis, chews on the skin and hair of cattle, causing great discomfort to these animals. The horse-biting louse, B. equi, and dog-biting louse, Trichodectes canis, are other examples of chewing lice that infect mammals.

Most lice that parasitize agricultural mammals are the anopleuran, blood sucking kinds. The short-nosed cattle louse, Haematopinus eurysternus, can occur in infestations serious enough to make animals weak and anemic from blood loss. Related lice include the pig louse, H. suis, and horse-sucking louse, H. asini. The sheep-sucking body louse, Linognathus ovillus, long-nosed cattle louse, L. vituli, and dog-sucking louse, L. setusus are other pests of domestic animals.