Chicken farmers who lost their flocks to bird flu are becoming date sellers, peanut farmers and seeking other livelihoods until the ban on bird raising is lifted.

The government is helping with compensation, low-interest loans and ideas about new ways to make a living with high-yield crops.

Dai Qingshan, a chicken farmer in northeast China's Liaoning Province, kept rubbing his hands for warmth as he came home after selling dates from the morning market yesterday.

He warmed himself near the stove and told his wife with pleasure. "I earned 10 yuan (US$1.2) in just two hours."

The temperature yesterday morning dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius in Heishan, a bird flu-hit county in Liaoning Province.

The couple was paid compensation for the 5,500 chickens culled last month in the bird flu outbreaks. They spent some of the money to buy 150 kilograms of dates to sell.

"Just make some small money until we're allowed to raise chickens again in six months," Dai said.

The government is trying to help poultry farmers who had to slaughter their birds. They are getting credit and low-interest loans until they can restart their poultry business on July 1.

The credit union in Heishan County has reduced the interest rate of loans by 30 percent and allowed bankrupt farmers to postpone loan repayment. "We're ready to extend more low-interest loans to chicken farmers next year," said Yuan Guoshan, vice director of the credit union.

The Ministry of Agriculture announced on November 4 that Dai's village in Badaohao Township, Heishan County, was hit by the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic bird flu. The epidemic later affected at least 50,000 chicken farmers in 19 townships and villages.

When quarantine was lifted on December 1, former chicken farmers have been racking their brains to earn money in different ways.