I wanted to NPIP my former flock but the lady told me not to even try. she said it was so difficult in Pennsylvania with all the additional regulations that added to the NPIP program. it was so expensive and so much paperwork to just forget about it.
Said she only knew of two people in her area who managed to negotiate all the obstacles and finally get NPIP on their flocks. Karen in Ligonier, PA
I wouldn't take someone's word on how difficult it is to get certified. Check into it yourself. I didn't have chickens for the few years I lived in PA so I can't speak to that, but in Mississippi, it is quite easy. Small flock or large flock, the process is the same. If you have 10 chickens or less, they test all the chickens. For a flock larger than 10 chickens, they test 10 chickens at random among the flock members. There are also different levels of certification. I can transport birds from my flock to other NPIP flocks within the state and visa versa, but in order to transport eggs or birds across state lines, I have to up to the next level of certification. There is also a separate egg certificate if I want to sell more than 6 dozen eggs per month or if I want to sell eggs at farm markets. I didn't do any paperwork. The agent who came to do the testing did all the paperwork and at least up until 2016, there was no fee, though rumor has it that there will be a fee starting this year or next.
I understand that things could be different in PA. All I'm saying is to check into it yourself because what you need to do to get NPIP certified may be different than that other person's experience.
Edited to add:
In PA, contact
DR NAN HANSHAW
PA DEPT OF AGRICULTURE
BUREAU OF ANIMAL HEALTH & DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES
HARRISBURG, PA 17110
Phone: 717-783-6677 Fax:717-787-1868
[email protected]
and "send the State NPIP agency a request for NPIP participation including your name, address, phone number, fax number if applicable, e-mail, type of business (hatchery, independent breeding flock, or dealer) type of poultry you handle or breed (egg-type chickens, meat-type chickens, turkeys, waterfowl, exhibition poultry, game birds, and/or ratites)" to get information.
(quoted from USDA APHIS -
How to Become a Participant in the National Poultry Improvement Plan https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home/ )
