Get tucked up at night with a chicken!

I heard this on the radio this morning. I bet that’s been a bit of herb-lore in Africa for generations that finally medical researchers have checked out. Packing list - toothbrush, travel guide, chicken...
 
Crikey scientists can be a bit dense at times can't they.

"The scientists, whose research was published in the Malaria Journal, concluded that as mosquitoes use their sense of smell to locate an animal they can bite there must be something in a chicken's odour that puts the insects off."

Yes, the smell of sudden death. Creatures that haven't had their senses dulled like humans tend to avoid natural predators funnily enough.
 
Though the study was aimed at malarial mozzies, i guess then, it would hold for them all. Why evolution hasn't had the same effect on flies would be interesting. Different strategy maybe - 'death or glory' when poop is the prize!
 
I suppose there are a couple of things at work. Flies are considerably faster than mozzies so have a better chance of survival, added to that the poo is not just a food source for them but for any offspring from the eggs they lay on it. The chance of reproduction often trumps any personal danger, just ask a male black widow, on second thoughts better not.
 
It's really cute when they sit there in a doze while another gently picks bits off their head. See what you mean - actually trying to bite a bird would be a very risky business!
 
Fascinating Marigold - and what good news if something so simple could make a difference. I've found a bit more:

Tests carried out in three villages in western Ethiopia showed that families that slept beneath a chicken in a cage overnight were mosquito-free in the morning, while homes without indoor poultry were not.

The obvious challenges of sleeping with a bird suspended over the bed were addressed in a follow-up experiment in which villagers were supplied with vials of chicken extract. The results were similar.

The findings, recently published in the medical publication Malaria Journal, will be used in a new collaboration with Swedish scientists to develop an odourless repellent.

“This repellent will be safe for human use, (with) no residues contaminating soil or water or poisoning people and it can easily be integrated into malaria control operations,” Tekie said.

Well, I would move to Africa if I could avoid malaria and the toxic prophylaxis.
 
Forgot to say the African chickens are delightful and seem to do well in the searing heat. They drink from lovely slightly porous hand-made terracotta jars which cool the water. They aren't fed at all, but gather around where people pound grain and eat the bran. Healthy, happy creatures in rural areas.
 
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