5 



Testing Plan No. 1. — Tests on Birds One Yeab of Age ob Older. 



A flock of hens is to be considered free from infection when reactors do not 

 exist in the breeding floclf after the following plan has been carried out : — 



(c) First test at the age of one year or older. 



(6) Second test on non-reactors, six to twelve months later. 



By this plan, each adult in the breeding flock will have been tested twice. 

 Testing Plan No. G. — Tests on Pullets. 



A flock of pullets is to be considered free from infection when it is the product 

 of a flock which has already been tested twice, and when on test it contains no 

 reactors. Three tests are thus required, as follows: — 



(a) Original test when the birds are eight to twelve months old. 



(6) Non-reactors tested again six to twelve months later. 



(c) Third test made on the offspring of the birds already tested twice. 

 Testing Plan No. 3. — Alternate Plan for Tests on Pullets. 



A flock of pullets is to be considered free from infection when produced as per 

 the following plan, and when, on the last of the following tests, no reactors are 

 found to exist. The procedure is as follows: — 



(a) Original test when birds are eight to twelve months old. 



(6) Non-reactors tested again four to six weeks later. 



(c) Offspring of the above flock tested as pullets. 



(d) Non-reactors tested again four to six weeks later. 



In other words, the test is applied to pullets and their offspring. By this plan 

 each bird is tested twice before being bred. 



NOTE. — It is mutually understood that pullets are eligible for testing two months 

 after the flock has attained a 20 per cent egg production. Male birds may be used 

 for breeders if tested once and found non-reacting. 



Control Measures. 



A. All breeding birds, male or female, to be leg-banded with bands furnished 

 at cost by the Department of Veterinary Science and Animal Pathology of the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. 



B. All birds showing a positive agglutination reaction to be removed from the 

 breeding flock. Reacting birds to be disposed of if possible ; but if it is found 

 necessary to keep them as egg producers, they are to be kept under strict quarantine. 



C. Male birds not to be housed during the breeding season with other than 

 breeding stock. 



D. New stock brought on the place, whether adults, day-old chicks, or hatching 

 eggs, to come from stock shown to be free from bacillary white diarrhcea, as deter- 

 mined by the agglutination test. 



NOTE. — The Department of Veterinary Science and Animal Pathology of the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station does not issue certificates of any 

 kind or enter any agi-eement to guarantee flocks. It will, however, co-operate with 

 poultry associations or groups of poultrymen who may wish to issue certificates of 

 merit or accredit their own flocks. 



Perhaps the most difficult part of the study carried out during this testing 

 season has been to keep the poultrymen interested to follow some one of these 

 testing plans. Of the 139 flocks tested, 99 have followed Testing Plan No. 2 ; 24, 

 Testing Plan No. 1; 6, Testing Plan No. 1 and No. 2; and 5, Testing Plan No. 

 3. Since the management in breeding varies in various sections of the State, and 

 since methods of breeding vary on the individual places, it is impossible to estab- 

 lish one plan for all. 



Testing Plan No. 2, which is a test on pullets, has been most generally followed, 

 and appears to be most satisfactory to the poultrymen. Of course, it will take 

 from three to five years to complete a series of tests, depending upon the degree 

 of infection in the breeding flock. With proper management successful results 

 have been obtained wherever this plan of testing has been in operation. Taking 

 an average of the 99 flocks tested by Plan No. 2, it has been found that the original 

 infection has been reduced more than 75 per cent. 



Testing Plan No. 3, which is an alternate plan for testing pullets, has not been 

 generally adopted, since most Massachusetts poultry breeders are interested in 

 testing by Plan No. 2, because the interval for testing by this plan coincides with 

 their poultry management practices. Testing Plan No. 3, however, offers the 

 quickest method for cleaning up the infection. Very few poultrymen have fol- 



