Czech Republic to cull 220,000 chickens due to bird flu outbreak

PRAGUE, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Up to 220,000 chickens were to be culled in the Czech Republic on Tuesday following a bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm, the State Veterinary Administration (SVS) said.

The avian influenza H5N1 virus was discovered in the village of Brod nad Tichou in the country's Western Plzen region on Friday. The farm keeps around 750,000 chickens in three divided halls. Originally about 120,000 chickens in one of the affected halls were to be culled. However, further tests conducted on Monday confirmed more infections in the same hall. Millions of eggs from the farm will also be disposed of.