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Amid bird flu scare in Uttarakhand, more hens die in poultry farms
Seven hens were found dead in a poultry farm in Bajpur area of Udham Singh Nagar district on Wednesday.
After around 150 hens died in a poultry farm in Tehri Garhwal last week, deaths of hens have been reported from Udham Singh Nagar, the Uttarakhand veterinary department said Thursday.
Seven hens were found dead in a poultry farm in Bajpur area of the district on Wednesday
"Seven hens were found dead in a poultry farm in Bajpur. So far, it seems that it is a case of natural death but as a precautionary measure we have taken the samples of the hens and sent them for testing to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly," Dr. GS Kharayat, veterinary officer of Bajpur region said.
The district veterinary department has closed the farm for precaution and sanitized the entire premise.
On Tuesday, around 150 hens were found dead in a poultry farm in Tehri Garhwal district. Samples from the farm have been sent for testing. Officials from the district veterinary department went to the farm to assess the situation and the farm has been closed for the time being.
According to records of the state forest department, over 870 birds have died in Uttarakhand since January 8 including over 750 crows. Dehradun district saw the highest casualties with over 780 birds dying there.
On Monday, Uttarakhand had reported its third case of bird flu after samples of crows sent from Haridwar tested positive for avian influenza. On January 11, first two cases of bird flu were reported from Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal districts.
With increased bird mortality, the state forest department and animal husbandry departments are on alert.
The state forest department has also issued toll-free numbers, 1800-180-4141, 1800-20-8862 and 1926, where people can report bird deaths from their areas.
