How do I test for Pullorum

[tk]

I heard that to sell at Waverly Iowa swap meet your birds need to be tested for Pullorum. I was woundering how a person does this. I was also woundering if anybody knows if that is the only thing they need to be tested for.

Thanks

[Evy]

You contact your county extension office & they'll arrange for a tester to come to your home.

[Oggie]

In my state, you contact the Department of Animal Health.

[Pathfinders]

And in mine we contact the State Veterinarian's office.

[MKG]

And in mine we gain "Certified Flock" status by testing all birds once a year.
We do it in January or February when numbers are at their low point. The certificate allows us to take birds to swaps or shows without retesting. Other states, however, may or may not recognize the Wisconsin certification.

[blackjack1]

Here in Iowa our tests are good for only 3 to 4 months if I remember right.
I took the test and am now a Pullorum-typhoid permitted tester.
Its an ez test and you only have to test 10% of your flock.
My wife and I both went to the class and took the test so we could test our own birds.:-):-)

[Pathfinders]

Here in Iowa our tests are good for only 3 to 4 months if I remember right.
I took the test and am now a Pullorum-typhoid permitted tester.
Its an ez test and you only have to test 10% of your flock.
My wife and I both went to the class and took the test so we could test our own birds.:-):-)

In KY we have to test every single bird over the age of 5 months. So rules are different in each state.

[Evy]

I really have a problem with just anyone testing their own & their buddies birds. NY requires more than an ''ez'' test to be certified. You also have to schedule the tester to visit. They do only require a % of your flock, not everything & the condition of your premises is also noted. Filthy conditions & inadequate water, etc. can be grounds for refusal. We have such a low rate of pullorum that testing is only required every other year unless you show.

[blackjack1]

I really have a problem with just anyone testing their own & their buddies birds. NY requires more than an ''ez'' test to be certified. You also have to schedule the tester to visit. They do only require a % of your flock, not everything & the condition of your premises is also noted. Filthy conditions & inadequate water, etc. can be grounds for refusal. We have such a low rate of pullorum that testing is only required every other year unless you show.

OK let me make this CLEAR!! I had to drive 4 hours then sit in a classroom for 6 to 7 hours then drive back home 4 hours so maybe my ez is different from most!! But I have to send papers in to the state for EVERY flock I test and the test supplies here in Iowa are not free. We have to pay over 100 for the antigen and over 200 for the light box plus other equipment.
I would bet that just about anyone can get certified in any state if they wanted to take the time and spend the money. This is an investment for myself and my wife and we feel it is important for people to be informed.
We did it because in my area there is only a few people that do the testing and My daughter will be showing in open shows this year and this way I don't have to worry about lining someone up to test before a show and not being able to go.

[Patrick]

OK let me make this CLEAR!! I had to drive 4 hours then sit in a classroom for 6 to 7 hours then drive back home 4 hours so maybe my ez is different from most!! But I have to send papers in to the state for EVERY flock I test and the test supplies here in Iowa are not free. We have to pay over 100 for the antigen and over 200 for the light box plus other equipment.
I would bet that just about anyone can get certified in any state if they wanted to take the time and spend the money. This is an investment for myself and my wife and we feel it is important for people to be informed.
We did it because in my area there is only a few people that do the testing and My daughter will be showing in open shows this year and this way I don't have to worry about lining someone up to test before a show and not being able to go.

I agree, it is important for people to be informed. Start with informing yourself. For starters, you are wrong. In some states NO ONE can be certified to test, regardless of how much time and money he has. Evy, being more informed than most, is referring to the fact that in many states, no individual private citizen is allowed to test birds. That privilege is reserved by the state, which allows only it's own employees or other representatives, under it's direct control, to take and submit samples and file the paperwork. What Evy is getting at, is that states such as your's, which allow anyone off the street to take an 'ez' test, and then test birds, leave an awful lot up to faith, and the honesty of every tester. That type of system is just begging for abuses. While I'm sure that you yourself are completely above board and honest, will never cut corners or make any mistakes, can you be 100% sure that every private tester in your state is the same? Are you positive that no one out there just says he tested his birds, without actually doing it, leaving the rest of us that show next to him open to possible exposure? Those of us who live in states with more formal testing programs are right to be concerned when we show our birds in the same room as those who come from more lenient states. We submit to a higher level of government oversight into our activities, and it is unfair that we still must expose our birds to those who do not.

[blackjack1]

Patrick,
Im on your side with the testers that just file the paper work or do the tests wrong. That is why we took the class and became testers. We would like to become breeders and this will help keep costs down for us.
Im not trying to say one state is better then the other but Iowa hasn't had any positive tests in allot of years and if anyone was to get a positive test they are to call a number and report it right away!!

[Evy]

I find it strange that with NPIP supposedly being the national overseerer, all states don't have to conform to the same standard. Yes, I realise that is what all the flap was about for a couple years but that gov't. program was too far reaching & would have been impossible to deal with for all involved. Even now, though, some states require AI testing, most don't. Those that do, vary in their requirements & methods. As Patrick mentioned, it can make showing out of your immediate area kind of a crap shoot. A few states don't even allow out of state birds. The exhibitors have found easy ways around those rules, too.
The last thing that seems to vary is cost. New York is one that has only gov't. testers but there's no cost to the breeder.

[robin416]

This year in TN it just became 10% of the flock. Before that it was every bird over six months and wasn't brooding.

As to flu testing; they ask every time if I will permit it. I always say yes and always come back negative. So far.

Some states have a real mess when it comes to trying to get birds tested. No responses from authorities on who to contact, testers not showing up and I've read a couple are very expensive.

Here in TN I contact my local tester. If that person is no longer doing the testing then I contact the state vet and find out who the new person is.

[Patrick]

Patrick,
Im on your side with the testers that just file the paper work or do the tests wrong. That is why we took the class and became testers. We would like to become breeders and this will help keep costs down for us.
Im not trying to say one state is better then the other but Iowa hasn't had any positive tests in allot of years and if anyone was to get a positive test they are to call a number and report it right away!!


That's another thing. How many people who find a positive on one of their OWN birds, call and report it? If we're lucky, they SSS. If we're not, they're right there in the show coop next door.

Robin, no issues with no shows either. Here, you call the state Dept of Ag, and they're on it. It's like calling the IRS and asking if they want me to send some money. It doesn't get dropped. We are required to test 100% of all eligible birds, even pigeons here. I've only found one other state which does that. Not even Massachusetts does, and some of their people are worse than the Gestapo. I'm also required to test 100% for AI. No one ever asked me if I wanted it or not. As far as that goes, it's not that I really mind. It's actually a good thing, but the foolish bureaucratic part about it is, if one has it, they all do, so it's just overkill. Still, if I ever had the need, it's nice to say that I'm 100% tested negative for AI. Costs are not much of an issue. It's certainly much less than what Blackjack quotes for his costs to get set up. I have relatively few eligible birds of testing age when I do it each summer, under 75, and I've never been charged more than $50. The last few years with Homeland Security issues, they've had funding, and there's been no cost to me. This year they say it didn't come through, and I was charged again.

Despite all of the restrictions I have compared to some of you in other states, mine has still been very pleasant to work with. There are only 3 testers in the whole state, it seems to be a rather stress free job, and the benefits are fantastic, so they seem to stay, and we get to know them. Save one guy about 10 years ago who really turned me off, the others I've had come out have been great. Then again, I've had no reason to challenge them either. They always take my word for it without question when I tell them which birds are under 5 months. They are very accomadating when making an appointment, any day or time I wish, as long as they can get the samples to the lab before 5:00. I've come to like one tester more than the others, and they're very happy to allow me to request him. This year they even offered to have me wait until he got back from vacation if I wanted. How many state agencies can you get that kind of service from? It's gotten to the point where I actually look forward to testing every year, and I can get caught up in the latest happenings with regard to what's going on in the Dept of Ag. Sometimes I get TMI, like when he mentions during conversation how they take GPS coordinates of my location, for tracking purposes, or when he told me that they all get AI tested, back when I didn't realize that they were doing it, hadn't been asked and hadn't given my permission. The secret inspection that I was undergoing as well, that Evy mentions, was slipped one year, without any kind of official notification or request. I supose it's things like that that I could make a stink out of, especially the GPS thing, but so far they've treated me well, at least by all appearances, and maybe these things that get mentioned in passing, wink, are their way of rewarding my cooperation. Another good side is that they were very receptive when this year I "mentioned in passing" all these BYC events which are popping up, with most of the participants either refusing to test or unaware that they need to. When I wondered aloud why I bother to go through it, while these other folks don't, they took notice.

[jungle]

Robin, no issues with no shows either. Here, you call the state Dept of Ag, and they're on it. It's like calling the IRS and asking if they want me to send some money. It doesn't get dropped. We are required to test 100% of all eligible birds, even pigeons here. I've only found one other state which does that. Not even Massachusetts does, and some of their people are worse than the Gestapo. I'm also required to test 100% for AI.

Actually, here in MA we do have to test 100% of our birds that are over 6 months (or 6 weeks?- I can't remember) old. I really wish we did not have to do every bird as it would save a lot of time but at least it is free, for now. Our state guy, Ed, is actually really great to deal with and has helped me out tremendously in the past. They also test all my birds for AI and pullorum and have never asked my permission for either. I really can't complain about any of it though as it has worked out well for me.

Richard

[Patrick]

I was referring to the pigeon testing, not the 100% rule. Yes, Ed is very cooperative and reasonable. I wish that they would equally enforce the rules among all groups though. Some shows they always inspect. Other groups, such as one swap meet notorious for having members who ignore the rules, they hardly ever inspect.

[Evy]

I was referring to the pigeon testing, not the 100% rule. Yes, Ed is very cooperative and reasonable. I wish that they would equally enforce the rules among all groups though. Some shows they always inspect. Other groups, such as one swap meet notorious for having members who ignore the rules, they hardly ever inspect.

Is ''Ed'' the nice guy that checks us in at Congress ? If so, it'd be nice to have someone like him in NY. He seems genuinely interested !!

[jungle]

Yes, that is Ed. He really went out of his way to help me out a couple years ago and help me sort through a problem I picked up from bringing a new bird into the flock. I have not talked to him much at length about what he keeps, if anything, but he does know about the birds and is always willing to share.

[Patrick]

Yes, that is Ed. He really went out of his way to help me out a couple years ago and help me sort through a problem I picked up from bringing a new bird into the flock. I have not talked to him much at length about what he keeps, if anything, but he does know about the birds and is always willing to share.

Slate turkeys, as part of a study that they're doing at UMass, I believe. He seems to genuinly enjoy them, and yes, he's made it a point to learn much more about exhibition poultry than any other tester out there. He says that he wants to exhibit when he retires, but can't now due to conflict of interest, and for biosecurity reasons for his research flock. I wish he would retire soon, not to loose him as an inspector, but to have someone give me some local competition in turkeys.

[Dondoyle26]

What happens if a flock test + for pullorum? What actions are taking to correct a + flock ?

[robin416]

What happens if a flock test + for pullorum? What actions are taking to correct a + flock ?

That's a good question. Since I always come back negative I never gave it a thought.

And Patrick, until this year's testing it was 100% of the flock. But there have been no positives here in several years so they have cut it back.