Prevalence of subclinical coccidiosis in broiler farms in Turkey

The presence of Eimeria spp. oocysts in fecal samples collected from 1,108 broiler houses in six regions, representing about 12% of all broiler farms in Turkey, was studied using the modified McMaster method. The age of the chickens in the 1,108 pens varied from 1 to 50 days. Oocysts were found in 602 (54.3%) of these broiler houses, and the mean OPG (oocysts per gram of feces) in those samples was 36,498.7 (50–952,000). No indication of clinical coccidiosis or other clinically evident infection or wide mortality was encountered in any of the pens studied. Further study showed that the age of the chickens, the occurrence of diarrhea on the houses and the density of broiler breeding in the area correlated with subclinical coccidiosis prevalence.