Former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s kadaknath breed of chicken farming at his sprawling farm in Ranchi has been hit by an outbreak of bird flu. Samples of the kadaknath chicken farm operated by a local farmer Vinod Meda have tested positive for the Avian Influenza virus. It was Meda who supplied 2,000 kadaknath chickens to Dhoni’s farm last year.
This development has been confirmed by the State Director of Animal Husbandry Dr. R. K. Rokde after samples of kadaknath chickens from farms in Jhabua district were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases ( NHSAD) at Bhopal. Dr. Rokde said that he received a letter from the NHSAD, Bhopal region that the samples have tested positive for bird flu. The Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry in Jhabua district has been given instructions to act as per the Central Government’s bird flu action plan, 2021, which includes culling, compensation and disposal of poultry, feed material, eggs, etc. Cleaning, disinfection and sanitizing process will begin shortly.
