Chitwan, June 29 -- The poultry sector is facing growing uncertainty as repeated bird flu outbreaks and farm closures disrupt the peak chick-raising season, raising fears of possible shortages of chicken meat and eggs during the upcoming festive period.

Poultry entrepreneurs say that hesitation among farmers to place chicks due to ongoing bird flu alerts could affect supply in the coming months.

According to the Department of Livestock Services, bird flu (H5N1) was confirmed in Morang on March 18 this year. By June 28, the disease had spread to 11 districts across the country.

In Chitwan, cases were confirmed in Bharatpur on March 26 and in a layer chicken farm in Khairahani on June 6. No new cases have been reported in Chitwan since t...