Ratchaburi Flood Stresses Chickens, Egg Output Drops Sharply
Heavy rain in Ratchaburi Province caused flash flooding that frightened chickens and cut egg production from about 60 per day to just three. Villagers scrambled to move belongings to higher ground as roads were submerged and homes inundated. Local officials visited the area to assess damage and coordinate further assistance.
Nang Chanchanuch, who lives in Village 5, Hin Kong Subdistrict, Mueang District, normally keeps 83 laying hens that produce about two trays of eggs, or roughly 60 eggs, each day. After the flood arrived, the hens became stressed and laid only three eggs. She and her husband tried to block the water with crushed stone loaded into a cart, and later placed long planks so the hens could temporarily perch above the rising water. She said she was eating breakfast when she noticed reddish, murky water beginning to flow at about five a.m.; by eight a.m. the water had entered her home, damaging her refrigerator and washing machine while she managed to save only the fridge. Local official Yossapon Chai Bunwat, the assistant district officer for security, visited the area with volunteers to assess the damage and report it to provincial authorities for further assistance.
