PT vs NPIP and effects of positive test

[strobl4christ]

We are new to breeding and selling and was told we need to do PT Testing.

1)what is the difference between PT testing and NPIP?
2)What happens to my business or my flock if positive result?

I ask because I have a couple of hens that have been rescued and present infection in reproductive tract. They don't even lay anymore due to EYP and occasionally pass a ball of infection (aka lash egg). I want to make sure these two rescues don't endanger the results of PT.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So, bad location. HATE mosquitos - I have a few neighbors with birds, always worried about what the small airplanes around us might be carrying.

That's a tough situation to be in, knowing you will always be fighting the surroundings to keep your birds healthy. Sorry to hear it.

 

[Painted Calls]

I would just go ahead and start the process of getting tested for NPIP. At the end of the day, it has to be done to be certified anyway. I'm not sure why there's any hesitation. Unless you are trying to sell sick birds and want to fly under the radar. I highly doubt you have PT in your flock. I'd be most concerned about the Coryza. Only way to know is to test though.

EYP isn't contagious. It isn't a disease. So no need to worry about that affecting your outcome.

 

[Painted Calls]

its the internet. like trying to self diagnose health issues for oneself, the internet is eager to offer you the worst possible possibilities, completely absent the context that chances are 1:1,000,000, 1:10,000,000, or even less...

This. 100 times this.

 

[Kiki]

My biggest fear is having to euthanize my babies (my chickens) because my daughter wants to sell chicks and we are required to pass a PT test when all I see is CDC warnings left and right about backyard chickens being dangerous.

There are a lot of nasty chicken diseases out there. Unfortunately there are a lot of scummy people who don't think it's wrong to sell sick birds.


I highly recommend you research and learn about chicken diseases before you start buying and selling.

 

[Kiki]

That makes me nervous because one vet on a vet page responded that my sweet Molly probably has Salmonella infection as a result of EYP from an egg busting inside her. She is probably within a year from passing, but I certainly dont want to lose all of my flock because of one bird that got infected from a eggshell remains.

It is highly likely this bird does have an infection. The quicker you see a vet the better chance you have of saving her life with antibiotics. This type of infection will not cause your birds to all be taken away from you.

You for sure should not be selling birds until you have testing done to know why this bird is sick. Your state lab is the cheapest when it comes to getting a necropsy on her when she dies...so you know exactly what happened.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You have had some terrible experience with disease in your flock - unusually bad, it seems to me.

Like @Kiki, I agree your bird likely has an infection and should be treated if you plan to try to save her. I also think its HIGHLY unlikely that infection is PT - but given your experiences with poultry diseases thus far, I can understand your concerns.

Gladdened to read you are following a quarantine practice - if you don't mind the intrusion, do your neighbors have sick birds all around you? I find it difficult to imagine having so many poultry illnesses in a short period of time if one isn't actively swapping birds with other flocks, and maintains good quarantine when obtaining new birds - unless the surrounding area is diseased, and your birds are being infected by the "locals", whether mosquito-born, wild bird species, etc...

 

[strobl4christ]

I would just go ahead and start the process of getting tested for NPIP. At the end of the day, it has to be done to be certified anyway. I'm not sure why there's any hesitation. Unless you are trying to sell sick birds and want to fly under the radar. I highly doubt you have PT in your flock. I'd be most concerned about the Coryza. Only way to know is to test though.

EYP isn't contagious. It isn't a disease. So no need to worry about that affecting your outcome.

Most definitely not selling birds under the radar new diseases just scare me when I know nothing about them. No IC in our flock. That was a bird I kept away from my other birds during quarantine period before introducing. Glad I did because he presented extreme symptoms of IC and I culled before he got near MY birds.

 

[Kiki]

Most definitely not selling birds under the radar new diseases just scare me when I know nothing about them. No IC in our flock. That was a bird I kept away from my other birds during quarantine period before introducing. Glad I did because he presented extreme symptoms of IC and I culled before he got near MY birds.

PT is nothing to worry about... Your birds would be dead already if they had it. Get the testing done and over with.

MG and Merek's diseases are both very common and you don't want either.
Proper quarantining is extremely valuable.
Most backyard keepers don't have enough room to properly quarantine so please be very careful about bringing adult in to your flock.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks everyone for making me feel better about PT. New possible diseases make me uneasy and when I read one thing on the internet about IF your birds have it that you coukd have to euthanize your entire flock my heart sank because I love my birds. The breeding and selling is my 9 yr old's passion....

its the internet. like trying to self diagnose health issues for oneself, the internet is eager to offer you the worst possible possibilities, completely absent the context that chances are 1:1,000,000, 1:10,000,000, or even less...

/edit agreeing w/ Kiki about the difficulty of good quarnantine practice absent LOTS of ground. Mosquitos are usually given a range of 500-600 ft - that's between roughly 6 and 9 acres! A long ways to separate runs.