By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
Poultry farmers in Rivers State are not having the best times as a strange disease has continued to attack and kill their fowls in recent months.
While the identity of the disease is yet to be ascertained, the cause of its outbreak remains unknown.
TPCN learnt that the strange disease, which some veterinary experts attribute to a virus, has drastically reduced the number of fowls in poultry farms while rendering some poultry farmers poor and helpless.
Lamenting over the development, a young poultry owner, Success, told TPCN on Saturday that the strange disease has caused pain for many farmers.
He said: “I don’t have plenty fowls now like last year. I had only twenty-seven when this sickness started three months ago. Two of my fowls just died, so I sold the remaining twenty-three, and we ate two. I recovered my money, so I didn’t feel it.
“But the people that are feeling it are people that have many fowls. Some of them, up to a hundred, has died. That’s why chicken is scarce. Like before, I used to sell fowl during Christmas but now that I have sold my fowls, nothing to sell at Christmas this year.
“They should find out the cause of this sickness that is killing fowls, otherwise no chicken this Christmas o.”
It was also gathered that the strange bird disease has led to a scarcity of fowls in the market and a subsequent increase in prices of poultry products.
A chicken seller, who operates a cold room business at Mgbuoba Market, NTA Road, told TPCN on Saturday that a kilo of chicken has increased from N1,450 to N1,700 within the last four months.
She attributed the increase to the scarcity of fowls and the cost of feed.
“There are many people buying the fowls, and many farm owners are having challenges because of the cost of feed that is now very expensive, and they said some fowls are dying. That’s why it is like this. May God help us in this country,” she said.
