AURANGABAD: Avian flu has been confirmed as the cause of the recent bird deaths in Parbhani’s Murumba village. Parbhani district collector Deepak Mugalikar said culling of more than 8,000 hens has been ordered in the village.
“All hens within a 1km radius of the village will be culled. Moreover, poultry firms in the entire district will be under watch,” he said.
Meanwhile, another 35 bird deaths were also reported from another nearby poultry farm in Murumba.
Mugalikar said the farm concerned is owned by an individual, who reported the incident to the local government authorities. “Samples from the dead and the living hens at the second site have been collected and sent to the laboratory,” he said.
The district administration had already declared Murumba a prohibitory zone, putting a ban on sale on poultry products from the village.
Unusual death, diarrhoea, purple discolouration of the wattles, combs and on legs of the birds, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs, lack of energy and appetite and nasal discharge are some of the signs of
bird flu.
Meanwhile, prices of poultry products have plummeted. Pralhad Kadam, a seller in Parbhani, said the prices have nearly halved. “Before the bird deaths, broiler chicken was sold for Rs 180 per kg, whereas the Kadaknath variety commanded a Rs 800 price for each kilogram,” he said.
An “alert zone” has also been declared in a 10-km radius around the Ahmedpur area in Latur after 180 birds were found dead over the past couple of days. The alert zone has been marked as a precautionary measure around Kendrewadi village by Latur collector Prithviraj BP.
(With PTI inputs)
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