Hosts Domestic chickens and related birds. The eggs develop to the infective stage in 12 to 14 days at 22 C and can remain infective for 4 years in soil.
Infection occurs when eggs are eaten.
The second stage juveniles hatch in the gizzard or duodenum and pass down to the ceca. Most complete their development in the lumen, but some penetrate the mucosa, where they remain for 2 to 5 days without further development. Returning to the lumen they mature, about 14 days after infection. If eaten by an earthworm, the juvenile may hatch and become dormant in the worm's tissues, remaining infective to chickens for at least a year. Since the nematodes do not develop further until eaten by a bird, the earthworm is a paratenic host.