Sunday, January 15, 2012

Bhutan-Bacterial infection killed P/Gatshel chickens #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

..yeah..right..
 
Serbithang lab test confirmed aflatoxin as the cause of death
Khotakpa, Shumar
 Bacterial infection was confirmed to have killed hundreds of chickens in Pemagatshel.
Earlier this week, 267 layers died within two days in one of the poultry farms in Khotakpa village. Khotakpa is about five km away from Pemagatshel town.
Animal husbandry officials are now giving the remaining 73 birds in the farm, sulpha-dimidina injections and tetra-cycline powder to control bacterial infection.
Last month, a brood of 480 layers were also reported to have died in another poultry farm in Denchi, which is about an hour’s drive from Pemagatshel town.
A test result from Serbithang confirmed aflatoxin as the cause of death. Aflatoxin is a toxin found in bird feed, the artificial insemination technician, Padam Kumar Thapa explained. Aflatoxins grows on grains and legumes during storage. Other common bird feeds that often contain aflatoxins are corn, walnuts and pecans
The birds however tested negative for avian or bird flu that has been responsible for poultry deaths in other parts of the country.
Around the same time, another brood of 100 chicks died from unregulated temperature during incubation, called brooding management in animal husbandry terminology.
“They could have died because of the cold,” Padam Kumar Thapa said. “The normal temperature maintained during incubation is between 37-45 degree Celsius but that time it was 21 degree Celsius.”
The deaths have caused poultry farmers in Pemagatshel to look for other sources of income, to be able to repay the loan they had borrowed from the Bhutan Development Bank limited. There are four poultry farms in Pemagatshel.
One of the owners is 26-year old Sangay Zam, who started a poultry farm about seven months ago with a loan of Nu 300,000. She recently received a letter from the bank for not paying her monthly installment of Nu 7,500.
Her family depends solely on the income from the farm. “It’s very disappointing because there are hardly any eggs to sell,” she said. “The number of eggs laid a day has dropped from around 400 to seven today.”
Which is also why her husband, Dorji, 32 who used to work all day in the field, has today started sawing timber.  http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=25079

No comments: