Dreyer, K.Fourie, L.J.Kok, D.J.Verwoerd, Daniel Wynand2012-12-122012-12-1220121997Dreyer, K, Fourie, LJ & Kok, DJ 1997, 'Predation of livestock ticks by chickens as a tick-control method in a resource-poor urban environment’. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, vol. 64, no. 4, pp. 273-276.0330-2465http://hdl.handle.net/2263/20756The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat X Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.The possible use of chickens as predators of livestock ticks was studied. Chickens were allowed to scavenge for 3 h among tick-infested cattle in a typical township backyard during the milking period. Boophilus decoloratus, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi and Otobius megnini were recovered from the crops and gizzards at necropsy. The numbers of ticks ingested ranged from 0-128, with an average of 28,81 (± 8,42) per chicken. This study has confirmed that chickens are natural predators of livestock ticks and that chickens can be used as part of an integrated tick control plan in urban cattle-management systems in resource-poor communities in South Africa.en© ARC-Onderstepoort (original). © University of Pretoria. Dept of Library Services (digital).Veterinary medicineCattleChickensControlLivestockTick-control methodsTicksVeterinary medicine -- South AfricaArticle