A total of 20,000 chickens were culled at the Central Poultry Development Organization farm in the Indian state of Odisha after the Indian Veterinary Research Institute's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus there, according to reports.
The farm has a total of 29,000 birds, and the government also ordered the culling of any birds within a three-kilometer radius of the farm. So far 11,955 chicks and 8,045 adult birds have been culled, and officials estimate that 48,000 birds could eventually be culled.
The bird flu alert has led to a sharp drop in the sale and consumption of chicken and other poultry products in the city.
