In Nizamabad district, avian flu dealt a crushing blow to poultry farmers
Following the rise in chicken deaths in neighbouring states due to suspected avian influenza, Telangana intensified checking at inter-state border check posts on Wednesday to prevent the transport of sick birds into the state and strengthened bio-security measures.
Veterinary authorities at the Andhra-Telangana border have closed the border in response to the widespread bird flu outbreak in Andhra Pradesh. They are stopping vehicles carrying chickens, chicks, and ducks from Andhra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu and sending them back. At the Pullur Toll Plaza in Jogulamba Gadwal district, veterinary authorities and police have set up a check post. Due to the high number of deaths of poultry layers and broiler chickens in Andhra Pradesh caused by the bird flu virus, as a precautionary measure, vehicles carrying chickens and chicks from other states are being intercepted at the Telangana border and sent back.
Authorities state that this step has been taken to prevent the disease from spreading into Telangana, as it is severely affecting Andhra Pradesh. So far, five chicken transport vehicles and two chick transport vehicles have been turned back. Two chick transport vehicles coming from Tamil Nadu were intercepted at the Pullur Toll Plaza and sent back to Andhra Pradesh, as they were headed for a poultry farm in Kamareddy, Telangana.
Meanwhile, in the undivided Nizamabad district, there are a large number of boiler and layer poultry farms. Nizamabad district has the highest number of poultry farms in Telangana. Eggs are supplied from here to other states. Along with broiler chicken farming, recently desi chicken farms have also increased. However, for the past three days, a virus has been affecting chickens in the undivided district, leading to the death of chickens in the lakhs. The severity of the virus continues. Chickens are dying daily in poultry farms and villages.
In the Kamareddy district, a large number of chickens have died in Banswada mandal’s Borlam and Tirmalapur villages. In Birkuru mandal’s Chincoli and Kistapur villages, chickens in poultry farms are dying due to the virus in large numbers. In Velpur mandal of Nizamabad district, in villages like Lakkora, Saibpeta, and several others, chickens are dying in hundreds due to the virus. Similarly, in villages like Bhingal, Pallikonda, Babapur, Lingapur, and Muchkur in Bhingal mandal, thousands of chickens in poultry farms are dying due to the virus. It is feared that chickens in almost all poultry farms in the district have been affected by the virus. The fear of the virus spreading among chickens is evident everywhere.
For the past three consecutive days, the state government has ordered the Department of Animal Husbandry to take action. Instructions and orders are being issued to poultry farm owners. Officials are visiting poultry farms and sending infected chickens to laboratories. They are advising on how to safely dispose of dead chickens and how to transport unaffected chickens. The poultry industry is experiencing a devastating impact due to this mysterious virus.
