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local veterinarian or county agent regarding reliable disinfectants. For 

 instance, seven poultrymen reported the use of kerosene in an attempt 

 to disinfect the houses, while four used either transmission oil, or crude 

 oil. These products are probably of value for controlling lice and mites, 

 but not for killing the germ causing pullorum disease. 



Keeping Reactors for Egij-Laymg Purposes: — For the past two years, poul- 

 trymen have been advised not to keep reactors in quarantine for egg 

 producing jjurposes. However, a few flock owners still continue to follow 

 this practice. 



The questionnaire sent to all flock owners for whom testing was done 

 during the 1928-29 season yielded the following information on this sub- 

 ject. Of 126 replies received, 23 or 18.25 per cent reported that they 

 had kept at least part of the reactors on the premises. Last season (1927- 

 28), out of 170 replies to a similar questionnaire, 46 or 27.0-5 per cent 

 reported that they had kept reactors on the premises. Ten of the 2-3 

 flocks were tested for the first time in 1928-29. Ten of the flocks were 

 tested in 1927-28, while three had been tested previous to 1927-28, but not 

 in that year. Five of the group who kept reactors in the 1927-28 season, 

 also reported keeping them during the 1928-29 season. Fifteen of the 

 1927-28 group were not tested in 1928-29. 



Although some improvement is noted the danger of keeping reactors on 

 the premises should still be emphasized. Such birds are a potential source 

 of transmission of infection and may become the cause of heavy losses 

 among the chicks, and a high percentage of infection on next year's report. 



Feeding Eggs From Unknoivii Sources: — Often it is difficult to determine 

 why a non-reacting flock suddenly becomes a reacting flock. One reason 

 is because infection is introduced to healthy birds through feeding infer- 

 tile eggs from diseased sources. A few examples are on record of poul- 

 trymen feeding eggs from unknown sources to adult birds. These eggs 

 are usually infertile eggs obtained from hatcheries, and in many cases 

 have proven to be the source of Infection in flocks. 



A good example of a flock becoming infected in this manner occurred 

 during the past season. A poultryman who had a flock of about 2,000 

 birds had his hens tested early in the 1927-28 season. There was no in- 

 fection in this group of birds. Later he had the pullets tested, and found 

 several reactors. Retesting the hens proved them to be infected, in spite 

 of the fact that they had previously been non-reacting. This man had 

 been feeding uncooked, infertile eggs from a nearby hatchery, which paid 

 little attention to the source of stock from which eggs were obtained. 

 It was proven beyond question that this man's flock was infected by feed- 

 ing these eggs. 



If infertile eggs are fed at all, they should be obtained from sources 

 known to be non-reacting to the agglutination test, — that is, from flocks 

 that have had no infection reported for at least one year. To insure 

 freedom, it would be well, even then, to boil the eggs for at least thirty 

 minutes before they are fed to the birds. 



Custom Hatching: — It is a well-known fact that pullorum disease can be 

 spread from diseased chicks to healthy chicks in incubators. Therefore, 

 poultrymen who have non-reacting flocks should not do any custom 

 hatching except for flock owners who have similar flocks. Furthermore, 

 poultrymen should refrain from having hatching eggs incubated by hatch- 

 eries that do custom hatching for other than persons having non-reacting 

 flocks. 



