Deaths of Country Chicken Raise Concerns In Annamayya, Chittoor Districts
Reports of country chicken dying in a few villages of Sodam mandal have spread concern among poultry farmers in Annamayya and Chittoor districts
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2026-02-08 17:12 GMT
TIRUPATI: Reports of country chicken dying in a few villages of Sodam mandal have spread concern among poultry farmers in Annamayya and Chittoor districts. The district administrations have issued alerts, asking farmers to immediately report any unusual bird deaths.
The deaths, confined to country chickens, had first been reported from Puttavaripalle, Ammagaripalle and Kambamvaripalle villages. As per officials, broiler and layer farms have not been affected, though there are within the poultry sector that this could affect farmer livelihoods and poultry trade.
Animal husbandry department teams have visited the affected villages and collected samples for testing. According to Annamayya district animal husbandry officials, they have sent samples from two poultry farms in Puttavaripalle and Ammagaripalle to a high-security laboratory in Bhopal, which confirmed ere bird flu. “Birds of the two farms have been buried under departmental supervision while following standard operating procedures of using bleaching powder and lime. The laboratory report for samples collected from the Kambamvaripalle farm is awaited. Action will be taken after the results are received”, an official said.
To create awareness, announcements are being made through autos using the tom-tom method. Officials said the chances of bird flu spreading from chicken to humans are very low. They went on to observe that consumption of properly cooked chicken does not pose a health risk.
Annamayya district collector Nishanth Kumar said there is no need for panic over bird flu detected at the two poultry farms in Sodam mandal. He assured compensation to farmers who have suffered losses.
The collector said instructions have been issued to departments concerned. Movement of chicken from Sodam mandal has been restricted. He stated that no unusual chicken deaths have been reported from other mandals.
Chittoor district collector Sumith Kumar has asked poultry farmers across the district to remain vigilant. He said farmers should not ignore sudden or unusual bird deaths. They must inform the Animal Husbandry Department (70131 19447) or the district control room (08572 242730).
Sumith Kumar clarified that avian influenza, if it occurs, spreads only among birds and does not affect humans. He appealed to farmers and the public not to panic or rely on unverified information circulating on social media.