Occurrence of Capillaria in local ducks of Kashmir

Gastrointestinal tracts (n=150) of locally reared ducks from three densely duck populated districts of Kashmir viz. Ganderbal, Budgam and Bandipora were collected and examined after slaughtering of the ducks with 50 samples from each of the respective districts. The Capillaria spp. was found to be the only parasite in the ducks with the overall prevalence of 43.33%. The Ganderbal showed the highest prevalence (60%) followed by Budgam (40%) and least in Bandipora (30%). The study showed the single worm infection in ducks and there is a need for further studies about the epidemiology of parasitic diseases in local ducks so that a data base can be set for the comprehensive understanding of the differences in the susceptibility towards endoparasitic infections in ducks and chicken.