MP: Bird flu infection found in Kadaknath chickens in Jhabua

Bird flu infectionhas been found in chickens of Kadaknath breed at a poultryfarm in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua district, a veterinarydepartment official said on Tuesday.

The farm is located at Rudipanda village under Thandlatehsil, he said.

''The National Institute of High-Security AnimalDiseases (NIHSAD) Bhopal has confirmed the presence of H5N1virus in the samples of Kadaknath chickens,'' saidVeterinary Department director Dr R K Rokde in an officialletter.

Deputy director Wilson Dawar said further action wasbeing taken as per the Union government's action plan fordealing with the outbreak.

Vinod Meda, the farm owner, said he had got an orderfor 2,000 chicks of Kadaknath breed from former India cricketcaptain M S Dhoni last month, but they could not be delivereddue to bad weather.

The black-winged and tan-blooded 'Kadaknath' chickenis known for its high iron content and low cholesterol, andsells at a much higher price than other varieties.

The farm had 550 full-grown chickens and over 2,800chicks, and officials took all of them away for culling,Meda said.

The birds will be culled and buried in a pit, saidAgriculture Science Center head and K S Tomar.

Bird-flu cases have been detected in Indore, Mandsaur,Agar, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain, Khandwa, Khargone, Guna,Shivpuri, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Vidisha, Bhopal, Hoshangabad,Ashoknagar, Datia and Barwani districts so far.