The Guyana Livestock and Development Authority’s (GLDA) hatchery has been closed until further notice because of the increased mortality rate observed among the Muscovy breed of ducklings.
According to a GLDA notice appearing in today’s Guyana Chronicle, its surveillance team has seen an increased mortality rate of the ducklings being hatched at the facility and the GLDA says it has also been told by some farmers that a “similar occurrence was taking place on a number of farms throughout the various regions”.
The GLDA said that the high mortality rates were recorded primarily in the Muscovy breed of ducklings generally between the ages of two to three weeks. To date, it said that it has not received reports of high mortality in adult Muscovy ducks and other breeds such as Pekin and the Kunshan.
“The ducklings most affected are from the farms that toll hatch at the GLDA hatchery, therefore, as a result of this unusual occurrence, the GLDA is currently conducting an active surveillance exercise throughout all 5 coastal regions and (is) monitoring the breeding flocks of the affected farmers. We are hereby seeking the cooperation of the duck farmers to conduct the surveillance exercise”, the GLDA notice said.
The GLDA said that it was also working with an overseas reference laboratory to have this “unusual event” addressed as quickly as possible.
“We at the GLDA are aware that the economic impact on the duck farming community is going to be huge and we are working assiduously to have this situation rectified at the earliest opportune time”, the GLDA said.
The notice said that the duck farming community can rest assure that the GLDA has the full support of the Board of Directors and the Ministry of Agriculture and it is doing everything possible to have this matter resolved.
It said that it would welcome any information from the farming community in this regard and can be contacted on 220-6556 or 220-6557 or by email at glda1910@gmail.com
