March 21, 2011

Bird flu kills hundreds more chickens in Indonesian province

An Indonesian official confirmed that around 350 chickens has died in March in Jambi's Merangin regency, which were infected with bird flu.

Merangin Animal Husbandry and Fishery Office head Imam Budi Cahyono said the chickens came from Lantak Seribu, Pematang Kandis, Rawa Jaya, Bukit Bungkul, Rasau and Tambang Baru villages.

"Officers recorded around 350 dead chickens at those locations. The exact number in the field is obviously more because many deaths have not been reported," Budi said, adding that officers would proactively follow up every finding or report.

Reports of dead chickens have declined compared to the first week of March. Officers have disinfected chicken coops as a precautionary measure and informed owners to destroy poultry infected by bird flu.