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Poultry sector in Telangana undeterred by bird flu

Sector fully organised, measures taken up round the year to keep fowl free from all diseases, says poultry body

By Sunny Baski

Published Date - 8 January 2021, 12:05 AM

Poultry sector in Telangana undeterred by bird flu — The industry returned to near normalcy after the lockdown and is moving towards 100 per cent business.

Hyderabad: Even as bird flu is being reported in several States, poultry growers in Telangana are yet to press the alarm button and say they are geared up to face any situation.

The sector is mostly organised and measures are taken up round the year to keep fowl free from all diseases, they say, adding that so far, bird flu cases were not reported in the State. Still, poultry farmers have been put on alert and asked to intensify precautionary measures.

Poultry Breeders Association president G Ranjith Reddy said there was little or no chance of the bird flu impacting the poultry sector in the State.

“Being one of the best poultry sectors in the country, farmers in Telangana do take necessary measures to keep the birds healthy,” he said, adding that vaccination was given to birds in poultry farms at regular intervals along with a rich diet on a daily basis.

“Flu is being reported only in other States and there is no connection with Telangana. The last time bird flu was reported in Telangana was in 2015,” he said.

Venkateshwara Hatcheries general manager KG Anand said hygiene was always a top priority in the poultry sector and that no person was allowed to enter the farm without washing his or her hands and legs.

“Special care is given to birds in winter to gain immunity and face cold conditions. Even if there are a few cases of bird flu, there is no harm in eating eggs and chicken as people cook the meat at over 130 degrees,” he said.

According to the Telangana Poultry Federation, there are around 10,000 broiler farms and 2,000 layer farms in the State. Apart from within Telangana, eggs are supplied to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata and some parts of Tamil Nadu while broiler birds are sold within the State.

Poultry business going on smoothly

The industry has returned to near normalcy after the lockdown and is moving towards 100 per cent business. At present, sale of broilers per month is over 3 crore while egg sales stand at 2.5 crore per day. Since doctors suggest chicken and eggs among the best foods to improve immunity, sales are on a bright note with chicken centres, especially on Sundays, witnessing long queues to buy chicken and eggs.

Zoo forms Rapid Action Force

Nehru Zoological Park staff preparing food for animals.

In the wake of bird flu, the Nehru Zoological Park has constituted a Rapid Action Force to monitor the situation on a daily basis.

As part of this, there will be disinfection of all aviary areas and provision of antibiotic powder and B-complex syrup in the feed for seven days for birds. Foot baths with phenyl solution are kept at different spots.

“Sprinkling of lime and bleaching power will be done all over the zoo. We have arranged reflecting ribbons in and around the aviary to avoid perching of free range birds near aviaries. All night houses have been whitewashed,” zoo curator N Kshitija said, adding that raw meat was replaced with minced meat for all carnivores.