DISTRIBITION (IF TESTS AM) REACTOKS 



Flock owners in 11 counties received testing service. A total of 1,195,159 

 samples was tested of which 0.004 percent were positive. Middlesex, Essex, Ply- 

 mouth, and Worcester lead in the number of samples tested. Only four counties 

 (Essex, Franklin, Middlesex, and Plymouth) revealed reactors. 



The followina; breeds were tested: Bantam, Barred Plymouth Rock, Brahma, 

 Columbian, Cornish, Crosses, Delaware, Eisenbar, New Hampshire, Rhode Island 

 Red, White American, White Leghorn, White Plymouth Rock, White Wyandotte. 



The White Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Barred Plymouth Rock, and 

 New Hampshire were the predominating breeds tested. It is of interest to note the 

 increase in the number of White Plymouth Rocks as compared with the number of 

 the previous season. Of the total samples. 27.11 percent were taken from White 

 Plymouth Rock, 25.17 percent from Rhode Island Red, 19.37 percent from Barred 

 Plymouth Rock, 16.71 percent from New Hampshire, and the remainder from other 

 breeds tested. Of the 1,090,438 samples collected from females, 38,735 were from 

 hens and 1,051,703 from pullets, with 0.07 and 0.002 percent reactors, respectively. 

 Among the 104,721 samples collected from males, 0.00095 percent were positive. 



ANNUAL TESTING OF FLOCKS 



Table 2 lists the results from flocks tested (1) for the first time, (2) intermit- 

 tently, (3) for two consecutive years, and (4) for three or more consecutive years. 



In the group tested for the first time, no reactors were detected. In com- 

 parison with the results of the previous season the number of tested flocks de- 

 creased, whereas the number of tested birds increased slightly. The average num- 

 ber of birds to a flock in this group w^as 1,945. 



In the intermittent and two-year-tested groups the percentages of infection 

 were observed to be the same, and only two flocks were classified as positive. In 

 one case the flock had revealed reactors the previous season, and the owner neglected 

 to follow the recommendations suggested for eradication of the infection. In the 

 other case inadequate precautions may be responsible for the introduction of the 

 infection. It is gratifying to note that in these two groups 126,174 birds were 

 tested of which only 0.03 percent were positive. The average number of tested 

 birds per flock for these two groups is as follows: intermittent 1,951; and two con- 

 secutive years 2,506. 



Table 2. Annual Testing Versus Single and Intermittent Testing 



