Tiruppur: Broiler hatcheries in Palladam stare at huge loss as heat wave kills chickens
TIRUPPUR: Broiler hatcheries are staring at a huge loss as a lot of chickens have been dying due to the summer heat in the poultry farms in Palladam for the past few weeks.
According to sources, the broiler industry of Western Tamil Nadu is worth more than Rs 4,000 crore with more than 5,000 broiler farms in in Palladam (Tiruppur), Erode, and Coimbatore. They produce 10 lakh chickens per month and these are supplied to Coimbatore, Erode, Dindigul, and Tiruppur.
Speaking to TNIE, K Murugesan, a poultry farm owner, said, “I own a small poultry farm in Palladam, with 6,000 broiler chickens in my facility. They (hatcheries) give feeds, medicines, and other things. They offer one-day-old chicks and after 40-45 days, they get back the chicken which weighs 2.5 to 3 kilogram. We are paying Rs 6.50 per kg in return for growing the chicken. However, things have changed after the summer has set in. Chickens are unable to bear the heat wave and are falling dead. Often for every 100 chicken, three may die (three per cent). However, now around seven to eight chickens fall dead for every 100 chickens. Supervisors from hatcheries have noticed the dead ones and have removed them from our farms. Besides, they have also advised us to use small fans and water should be frequently sprinkled on the chickens. However, the death rate is quite high. Hatcheries are forced to underwrite the loss, due to the current hot weather.”
Speaking to TNIE, “Heat waves are unbearable for chicken. If any chick grows for more than 45 days and dies, it could lead to a huge loss to poultry farms and hatchery. Some hatcheries are picking up broiler chicken even after 35 days. However, the weight of these chickens will be around 1.6 kg. Adding to problems, the survival rate of chickens is less too. For example, when we supply 1,000 (one-day-old) chicks to a small poultry farm, around three per cent of the chicks would die. However, at present around 10 percent of the chicks dies within 30 days. Poultry farms cannot undertake the responsibility, since the responsibility of these units is just growing and feeding them. Large hatcheries are forced to take these huge losses.”
Speaking to TNIE, an official from the Animal Husbandry Department said, “There is nothing to panic about as we all are aware of the fact that chicken and other fowls cannot tolerate the heat. Hot weather conditions could result in the death of chickens. Fortunately, there isn’t any mass death of chickens in any particular location or any form so far. We have issued precautionary advice to remove dead ones and cull those found unwell.”