4. The poultry houses, runs, and equipment should be thoroughly cleaned 

 and disinfected immediately after removal of reactors. An empty pen in each 

 house may facilitate cleaning and disinfection during winter months. Disin- 

 fectants approved by the United States Department of Agriculture should be 

 used. 



5. Offal from all birds dressed for market or home consumption as well as 

 dead birds that are not fit for consumption should be burned. 



6. Birds removed from the premises to egg-laying contests, exhibitions, etc., 

 should be held in quarantine and determined free from disease before they are 

 re-admitted into the flock. 



7. Purchase of stock in the form of adults, chicks, and eggs should be from 

 officially recognized pullorum disease-free flocks. 



8. Eggs should not be saved for hatching until after a flock has been tested 

 and all the infected birds removed. Early pullet testing will permit early hatching. 



9. Fresh and infertile eggs from unknown or infected sources should not be 

 fed to chickens or exposed to other animals that may carry or spread the in- 

 fection. 



10. Poultrymen should not custom-hatch for untested or infected flocks. 



11. Owners of pullorum disease-free flocks should not have hatching done 

 where infected eggs or stock may be found. 



12. Poultrymen should not buy feed in bags that have been used or exposed 

 to infection. (Such bags if properly disinfected will be safe for further use.) 



13. Poultrymen should not use equipment that has been exposed to or con- 

 taminated with infective material unless it is properly cleaned and sterilized 

 or disinfected. 



Non-Reacting and Positive Flocks Classified by Counties 



Table 5 gives the number of non-reacting and positive flocks classified by 

 counties. A total of 241 flocks (100% tested), representing 432,919 birds, was 

 identified in 11 counties. The bird population in these flocks is equal to approx- 

 imately 17% of the total poultry population (birds three months or older) for 

 Massachusetts. At the present time the Massachusetts poultry industry is in a 

 position to replace its total poultry population from 100% tested, non-reacting 

 flocks. Since there is an adequate supply of non-reacting stock to draw from for 

 replacements, it is recommended that purchases be directed toward such sources 

 of pullorum clean stock in order to expedite further elimination of the disease 

 within the State. Within recent years it has been observed that it is less difficult 

 and less expensive to establish a pullorum clean flock through the purchase of 

 stock from officially recognized clean sources than by means of intensive testing 

 (testing at four-week intervals until no more reactors are detected). Of course, in 

 establishing a pullorum free flock through replacements with clean stock, one 

 must recognize the importance of preventing the new stock from being exposed 

 to infection. Success cannot be anticipated if proper control, eradication, and 

 prevention measures are not observed. 



Infected flocks were detected in all but one county (Barnstable). While the 

 number of positive flocks (22) and number of birds in these flocks (22,761) may 

 be small, they represent an integral part of the breeding stock in the State which 

 is disseminating pullorum infection. The owners of these flocks should make a 

 conscientious effort to eliminate the infection from their premises. Owners of the 

 infected flocks are encouraged to discuss their pullorum disease problems with the 

 testing agency so that plans for possible eradication of the disease may be adopted. 

 A definite program should be formulated and carried out at such a time so that 



(7) 



