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2,000 chickens die, but no flu
(Times of India, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 21--NEW DELHI/ALIGARH: Officially there is no bird flu in Uttar Pradesh. But there is panic: among poultry farmers, chicken eaters and health officials after reports of more than 2,000 chickens dying on an Aligarh farm. State government and poultry farmers are insisting that murgh masala is still safe.
"About 100 birds were found dead on Monday morning on an Aligarh farm. The death of remaining 1,900 took place between February 26 and March 16. The surviving birds are being given antibiotics and vitamins," UP animal husbandry director R C Sharma told TOI.
The birds are suspected to have died of bacterial pneumonia but officials have sent off samples to the animal disease laboratory in Bhopal, a lab in Izzatnagar and the Veterinary University, Mathura.
Animal husbandry department joint secretary Upma Chawdhry said state veterinarians had visited the poultry farm that had reported deaths. The deaths occurred at the Nawab poultry farm in Gharuamafi village in Aligarh.
The farm is jointly owned by Nawab Khan, Al-Meher and Gyanendra. The trio on February 26 bought 3,900 chickens from Parasen Breeding Farm in Gurgaon.
"The owners claimed that the chickens were given the best feed," said Sharma. However, he added, that from the past three days the quality of feed was poor and that could have left the chicks weak and vulnerable.
"I don't know the reason but barely 5-6 machchar (local term for poultry) are being sold for the last two days," said Naushad, a wholesaler in Dodpur locality of Aligarh. Poultry traders say while 5,000-6,000 birds were sold in Aligarh per day, the demand is down to 500.
DM Rajesh Kumar Singh said all precautions were being taken, despite the fact that initial indications had ruled out bird flu. At ground zero in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, the Union government declared culling was over, with 91,000 birds having been slaughtered and compensation of Rs 21 lakh having been paid.
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