The Odisha government on Friday began culling of birds after confirmation of avian influenza outbreak in Krushnaprasad block of Puri district.
Special teams went around Sanasahi, Maluda and Patharaganja in the block and looked for affected birds. As many as 400 birds in three poultry firms were culled and dumped in a pit on the first day.
Bird culling would be undertaken within a one-km radius of the epicentre of bird flu.
The State government also decided to take samples of migratory birds congregating in Chilika lake to ascertain if they were carriers of H5N1.