258 - It Taste Like Chicken: The challenges of cannibalism among Sentinel chickens.

Sentinel chicken program is the most common method of mosquito-borne virus surveillance in Florida that is being utilized by local health departments and mosquito control agencies to assess local arbovirus amplification and transmission in nature and reliably provide information on the risk to human health. The total number of flocks and number of chickens per flock varies among different programs based on budget, manpower, and experience. The chickens are placed in cages that are strategically located throughout the county where they can be exposed to mosquito bites. A separate flock of chickens are kept in a mosquito-proof building to replace chickens lost due to mortality or seroconversion.
However, chickens that are kept in enclosed communal areas are prone to pecking order and cannibalism. Cannibalism among sentinel chickens involves pecking, tearing, and consuming the skin, tissues, or organs of the flock mates. Because cannibalism can decimate a sentinel chicken flock, it is very important that cannibalism control is a part of flock health management. This presentation will discuss possible causes and some remedial steps taken at the Lee County Mosquito Control District to minimize cannibalism issues that plagued the sentinel chicken program.