KUALA LUMPUR: More than 200,000 chickens were starved to death at two farms owned by Consolidated Farms Bhd in Rawang and Kalumpang, over the past two months. 

Selangor Veterinary Department Director Dr Noraida Abdul Rahim confirmed that they died of starvation but said that the department had not taken a head count of the dead chickens. 

“We were told that the farms were closing down due to financial problems and the chickens were left to starve without chicken feed. 

“During our inspection to the farms our concern was whether the chickens had suffered from any disease, but this was not the case,'' she told The Star. 

However, the retrenched staff who had been disposing the dead chickens over the past two months estimated that 200,000 chickens had been starved to death.  

Supervisor Yang Azira, 46, said that the farm workers were clearing thousands of dead chickens daily. 

“The Veterinary Department officials came and visited the farm after complaints of chickens dying,'' said the Kalumpang farm employee who was dismissed without her May salary. 

“It was sad to see the chickens falling and dying slowly because they were not fed,” she said. 

During the good times, about a million chickens laid eggs at the farms. 

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' animal inspector Sabrina Yeap, when contacted, said: “To allow such a great number of chickens to die of hunger is a very cruel thing to do.” 

“The company directors have to answer why they were so cruel. In fact, they should have disposed the chickens to other farms or given them away,” she said.  

The company's Human Resources Director Md. Sadik Md. Ismail however said the 200,000 estimated by the staff was on the “high side”. 

“About 200 chickens die during a normal day when they are fed regularly,” he said. He however did not say how many would die if they were not fed regularly. 

Sadik attributed the deaths to increasing chicken feed prices as well as the company's financial problems. 

He added that a management consultant company was currently involved in restructuring the company. 

Retrenched staff had filed petitions at the Rawang Labour office yesterday for unfair dismissal and for not being paid last month's wages.