IHK’s poultry sector hit by Rani Khet Disease

Srinagar, Dec, 29 : The poultry sector of the valley has been badly affected as thousands of birds have died due to New Castle Disease or Rani Khet Disease, called Kokuer Kone in local parlance.

The disease has taken a heavy toll of birds in Ranbirgarh in Srinagar, followed by some farms in Budgam and one farm in Baramulla.

According to reports from different district headquarters, the mortality of poultry birds has shot up to 88 percent. 0ut of total 40,700 reared birds 36,000 died due to this disease.
Reports of low intensity disease outbreak are also pouring in from far and wide.

Experts say, Kokuer Kone, a poultry viral disease which was virtually eliminated from the poultry population over the years with consistent vaccination of entire poultry population here has staged a comeback in a big way.

Confirming outbreak of the disease Dr M Tuffail Banday, Prof & Head Livestock Production & Management of Veterinary College, SKUAST-K attributes it to the stressful conditions of winter (extreme low temperatures), poor bio-security, vaccination failure and improper way of vaccination.

Dr Tufail said it has been the common practice with local farmers to administer F1 vaccine against the New Castle Disease on day-5 of their age mixed with water in which process it is but natural that some chicks do not take the water and even one such bird is enough to cause outbreak of the disease.

He said that regardless of repeated advice to the farmers that the vaccine should be administered either through intra-ocular or intra-nasal route, they prefer the easier but risky method of administering it with drinking water, lamented the Professor.

Dr Farooq A Jan working in Zakura station of the department too confirmed the reports of Kokuer Kone and said the Institute of Animal Health and Biological Products did collect samples from far and wide and could confirm the disease by subjecting the same to a variety of tests.

Farmers, however, blamed the department for poor response in dealing with the situation. “When we informed Animal Husbandry department they dismissed initial reports as figment of somebody’s imagination,” said poultry owners.

“Had the field veterinary units taken note of the disease outbreak in the backyard perhaps the situation could have been saved,” said a farmer.
He said many a farmers are now reluctant to share the information with anybody fearing ill effects on their future marketing of their produce.

A farmer lamented that the department has not been able to purchase the vaccine manufacturing machine called Lyophiliser which would help the poultry farmers to have an effective vaccine against the local strains of Ranikhet Disease Virus.

When contacted Director Animal Husbandry, Dr Ghulam Rasool Mir told Greater Kashmir that poultry farmers need not panic.
“So far we have come to conclusion that it is Kokuer Kone and we have employed task force at district level to maintain bio-security and check its outbreak. Department commissioned a control room at directorate office for the farmers,” Mir said.

Mir, however appealed private poultry owners not to import birds till the diseases are eradicated.


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