Any members that are NPIP certified, I have questions.

[Tuffoldhen]

My testing was free here in WV by the WV State Dept of AG.

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

Isn't the cost up to the person who is testing your birds????

My mom is certified to do the testing and so is another friend of mine and to the best of my knowledge they give you a price...The choice is theirs to say it's...$xxxx to test xxxx amount of your birds, or it's $xxxx per bird, or $xxxx per hour....etc.etc. etc....

Or at least that's how they do it....

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

Michigan responds - I can't find good information on how to go about getting testing done, what paperwork to fill out, or how much it will cost. I have contacted my local ag extention office...they told me to call the state. I called the state office...they don't really answer the phone.
The closest thing I have found to information is this: At our county fair testing is done on each bird. This actually worries me because it seems like it would be more important to test them at least a week before they get there. And what about people who don't have show quality birds, people like myself who just want to make sure a backyard flock of egg layers is healthy and want documentation to prove that before selling birds or eggs in order to reduce potential future liability risk?
I am hoping to find someone at the fair this year who is a tester and will be able to advise me.

 

[MissPrissy]

Call your State Vet office and tell them you need specific information on NPIP testing. If you get a run around then ask them for the appropriate USDA office to contact for the information - that might kick their butts into gear to help you. No one wants big brother to come looking over their shoulders as to why a Federal USDA program isn't being utilized.

 

[MandyH]

OK, the lady is supposed to be here Tuesday. She's ben covering the whole state by herself and has the flu, so she put me off until next week. I went to the Mississippi Board of Animal Health to find my info, but here is a link by state for NPIP contact people for you people wanting info.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/poultry/downloads/osa-npip.pdf

Thanks for the input thus far!

 

[Katy]

I guess the thing that bothers me about NPIP is I think it gives people a false sense of security in that it only requires testing for two diseases while there are many others that can be devestating if you bring them home to your flock.

 

[MissPrissy]

NPIP is concerned with your food chain. Nothing else. The program is focus solely on the pullorum typhoid virus being irradicated from your food sources.

The salmonella is transfered from the hen to the egg. You can't prevent it or treat. It spreads quickly through a flock.

They are not concerned if your birds have other diseases that infect each other. The concern is that if you like your eggs sunny side up, over easy or make mayonnaise that your eggs are clean and you won't die from food poisoning.

It has nothing to with NAIS or other poultry concerns.

If you sell eggs to the public for consumption in my opinion it is your responsibility to make sure the eggs you are selling won't cause someone to become sick and possibly die from food poisoning. While us normal and very healthy people can deal with it over a few days and recover, the elder, small children and those taking certain prescribed drugs won't be able to fight off the virus and can die from its effects.

 

[Katy]

I understand what the pullorium typhoid virus does and why they don't want it spread. I'm just saying that just because you buy hatching eggs from a NPIP flock doesn't mean those eggs or the flock they came from are disease free and too many people think that is the case. I just think it gives people a false sense of security. A flock can test clean of pullorium typhoid but still be the carriers of other nasty diseases.

 

[MissPrissy]

But see the issue is not about hatching eggs. This about eating eggs and the meat from those chickens. If you hatch eggs there are entirely other issues at hand and for selling them to people in other states. Those are health certs that must come from a vet or a different tester.

This is about food and most people do not seem to be able to understand that. It is not something that is across the board and saying you have disease free chickens and eggs.

Not enough people have been educated to the NPIP program to understand it has nothing to do with anything but the food chain. With so many people turning back to the ways of home grown chickens and eggs there is a potential for salmonella to strike and cause wide spread damage to not only flocks of chickens but to humans.

My eyes were opened wide and I learned alot at the meeting for being a tester saturday. I, too, clumped it all together until the light bulb went on and I had to stare straight down the food chain.

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

I know that it's about food supply safety. I don't want to get into a situation where someone eats raw cookie dough, gets sick, blames me, and I can't prove that I made any attempt to reduce risk. Personally, yes I eat undercooked eggs but I know not to give them to the one year old. I also plan to grow meaties this summer and want to be as safe as I can be. I have hatchery birds from NPIP sources but I have no documentation and as I hatch out birds there is further confusion.

I think this is one of the areas of chicken raising where the more info the better. The goal is to give my family a healthier choice.