NAIS & your chickens

[spook]

Very interesting Sonoran Silkies, see these are the types of information that are interesting, not placing the frustration and anger into it.
As for your reply ksalvagno, that is a major pass the buck. Geesh. It is a very interesting subject and every time it comes around, I do understand more and more. I guess I'll go re-write some other letters and send them off.

Write your EDITOR, write you politicians, and if they don't offer to look into it ...keep writing until you understand it completely.

Its like the CRD's, we have NPIP, NAIS wanting to be a part of it, yet when we all find this site, 75% of the people look for the articles of runny nosed birds, coughing and wheezing. Then 3% want NAIS and yes, it is good that its brought up for those new folks that do not understand it, and those of us that have been around for a while that are still learning. A lot of these programs never become upgraded until something big happens.
It was now with this article that you reminded me of a happening that is most recent regarding the CRD's. My veterinarian was unfamiliar (he does not do chickens) with these conditions- and the Maine State Vet did not understand the amount of these conditions until I asked the blunt question, and another doctor spoke up and said "we've been discussing this for decades" . So I would assume that most of these people implementing these laws have no idea which end an egg comes from.
You know, I would think it would be a great news paper article or atleast a letter to the editor, bring the ball up and rolling in the community, stopping at the extension office.

 

[MissPrissy]

I am an NPIP tester for the state of Virginia.

NPIP is only concerned with salmonella in the food chain. Nothing else. Please do not misrepresent a volunteer testing program to keep food safe from disease that will kill you and your kids and your friends and other family as well as any person who eats eggs or meat from your flock.

NPIP has gotten a very bad rep of late due to people not understanding the purpose of it.

Salmonella food poisoning is no respector of people or chickens or eggs. It passes from the hen to the egg. If you eat those eggs undercooked and have an impaired immune system the toxins produced in your body can be lethal if not fatal. There is no cure for the salmonella in the hen and you can't stop it passing to the egg. Those chickens have to be put down to stop the spread of the disease. It is not some secret policing agency bent to riun your backyard flocks.

 

[texaschickmama]

I've had my birds tested voluntarily. I wanted to make sure that I was "legal" to sell chicks and eggs from my home. I knew my birds were healthy, but wanted to do the paperwork to prove it. The inspector that came out was so nice and informative. I will only buy from others that are licensed through the State now. I was quite thrilled when he told me it didn't cost anything. At last, a federally funded program that has helped me!!!!

 

[spook]

Miss Prissy, excuse me, I did not intend on downing the NPIProgram. I have birds that are from NPIP flocks, I also feel that the 1930's National Poultry Improvement Program should have been updated to test for some other diseases and conditions that have been trivialized and left unchecked in our country's hatcheries has caused some worried poultry owners when we are left caring for birds with CRD's and some of the other crushing conditions that could be prevented in the poultry swaps, trades and shows.
That is where I feel NPIP has failed us, by not updating past the 1930's expectations. Especially now that I can bring eggs in (hypothetically!!! please!!!) from your farm to mine. I hatch them, and there are conditions that come from ovaries of their mothers, we know this. I trust you, your recommendations and references are super, yet I do not know what you just brought in on your feed bags etc.
Now, I am NOT saying you have anything please do not take this as slander, it is not my intent.
The point I unfortunately did not get across in the previous article when you felt that I downed NPIP. No, absolutely not, I agree and from learning from people like yourselves, understanding what to look up and also to hear what the opinions of other poultry owners/farmers on these conditions is important.
Another reason NPIP testing is important is the fact that a certified tester either came to your residence or saw what you are handling for birds.

I feel at this point I'm defending myself and I apologize for my comments.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not going to get into whether NAIS is good or bad legislation. I think it is an attempt to be a good law. Whether it passes or fails that test probably depends on your perspective.

Talking to people who are reponsible for stopping outbreaks of disease in animals, including chickens, the purpose has little to do with backyard flocks, although they enter into the picture. One purpose is our national balance of payments, our exports. When avian flu was discovered quite recently in Kentucky or here in Arkansas a couple of years ago, foreign governments stopped importing certain chicken products until the avian flu is cleared up. (As an aside, the avian flu discovered in Kentucky and Arkansas is not the strain that is going to kill 1/2 of the world population so don't panic) Every bird in the affected flockis sanitized (read usually incinerated) to prevent the spread. Then every flock within a certain radius, I think 10 kilometers, has to be tested, including every small backyard flock. They have to drive every road and knock on every door until somebody answers to test all the flocks. If the avian flu is found in one of these flocks, the 10 kilometer circle just got bigger. The faster they can locate all the flocks and test them, the better they can stop the spread so fewer flocks are at risk.

The purpose is not to run the small producer out of business and give the big commercial boys a price advantage. We are such a small part of the market, they really don't care about us. We can't touch them on price anyway, but our product is better. The purpose of the way it is set up is to keep the cost for the big boys down so American chicken (or beef, or pork, or mutton, or turkey, etc.) is competitive on the world stage. It is not written for us little people. It is written for the big commercial guys. That is probably why it does not meet our needs very well.

There is also a component that is involved in tracking down products that are causing harm to the American populace. Think of the recent peanut paste salmonella and some of the meat recalls. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to quickly trace the contamination to the source and prevent some people dying.

I encourage anyone that wants to really look at the details and make constructive comments to their legislators to contact their legislators and explain how it is not meeting your needs. Your reprentative and senators do want your vote. As long as your comments don't drive the cost of American exports up, they'll probably listen. But please, don't send off uninformed inflammatory correspondence as this will only hurt our cause.

This is my opinion. Hopefully I am not being too inflammatory.

 

[MissPrissy]

That is just it - you think NPIP should test for other diseases and that is NOT the intent of NPIP.

The diseases you speak of like CRD doesn't effect your food chain. It makes chickens sick and they die from it in many cases but those chickens don't leave the potential deadly to humans virus in the eggs and that virus won't harm you if you ate those eggs.

Forget every single thing you know about NPIP.

The only thing you should be thinking when you think NPIP is your food sources. If you eat the eggs will they potentially make you so sick you will die?

NPIP does not need to change a thing. It is a USDA program with the only intent to protect you from a food born viral infection. It is not in place to make you think your chickens are disease free or disease risistant and it is not in place to monitor chicken and other poultry diseases.

Think food. Think food resources. Think food chain.

Let's play a game - Let's pretend -

You sold or gave a away some eggs from your backyard hens. The family who got those eggs took them home all happy and ready to prepare a great big breakfast type meal with farm fresh eggs as the major player on the plate. Let's say the 2 year old loved runny eggs and toast points and the mom cooked up several for the entire family. Yummm!

Several hours later the Dad had an upset stomach and spent a few hours running back and forth to the bathroom. The mom however not only spent time in the bathroom with an upset stomach but also had headache, vomitting and ran a fever. The 2 year had the same symptoms as the mom. After a day or two the mom went to the doctor with the 2 year old because she didn't get over it like mom and dad did. Within 48 hours the 2 yr old was in the hospital on life support because a 2 year old body can't fight off the toxins of salmonella food poisoning found to be in the eggs left in their refrigerator that were tested by a lab to help diagnose the source of the contamination.

The 2 year old died after a few more days. Her kidneys shut down and her liver failed.

Which is more important? Testing your chickens for CRD or testing and culling any chicken that reacts to a pullorum test in a negative way?

This very simple, volunteer program has saved more lives from food born illness that you can ever imagine.

CRD won't kill a 2 year old that eats runny eggs and toast. The salmonella virus will.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
thanks for explaining this Miss Prissy..i understand it better now!

 

[MissPrissy]

Exchange the 2 year old for any person with a suppressed immune system - either from illness or some medication that leave them vunerable. It can happen to anyone at any age. You just don't know who isn't healthy enough to fight off salmonella food poisoning.

 

[sara]

Quote:
Agreed, people think NPIP is something that it isn't.