Office head Djaelani said the raid was intended to prevent the distribution of poultry that according to the agency, did not meet health standards.

"We have increased our monitoring in order to prevent irresponsible people seeking easy profit by selling unhealthy poultry," he said.

Citing beritajakarta.com, The Jakarta Post reports that Mr Djaelani said that in most cases, the chickens died after being squashed on the way to slaughterhouses from areas such as Banten, Tangerang and Central Java.

"So, they die not from illness, but because of fatigue or being squashed on the way," he said.

The agency said such chickens were pale, smelled fishy, and had lots of blood on their heads and necks.

The chickens are usually sold at cheaper prices.

"The public should be cautious and not easily tricked by cheap poultry meat, because it is likely the meat is unhealthy," he said.