11 



means that the stock has been officially certified as having met certain require- 

 ments. Far too many flock owners fail to take advantage of this official grading 

 service. 



Testing All Birds on Premises: The testing of all birds over five months of age 

 on the premises is a time-tried practice which has proved effective in identifying 

 pullorum-free flocks. One cannot be certain that a flock is free of pullorum disease 

 by testing only part of the mature birds. This is especially true in flocks where 

 the amount of infection is small, and may be confined to the untested part of the 

 flock. Actual testing records show that one reactor has been detected in a flock 

 and it so happened that the reactor was the last bird tested in the flock. It is 

 true that in some flocks partial testing has been practiced with apparent success 

 but for a general program in which flocks are officially graded, partial flock testing 

 cannot be considered a safe and reliable procedure. It is hoped that more flock 

 owners will adopt the 100 percent testing program so that their flocks will be 

 eligible for official grading by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture if 

 no reactors are found. 



Prevention of PuUonini Infection: During the past year, it has been observed 

 that some flock owners are not as careful in selecting their hatching eggs for 

 custom hatching as they should be. In view of the great demand for hatching 

 eggs, the careful selection of pullorum-free flocks has been somewhat neglected. 

 Custom hatching is one of the easiest means of spreading pullorum infection, 

 therefore hatcherymen and flock owners should exercise every possible precaution 

 against selecting eggs from infected or untested stock. 



Likewise some breeders have taken chances on purchased males, especially 

 when cross-bred stock was desired. Males can be infected with pullorum disease 

 and should be considered a possible source of infection when introduced into a 

 pullorum-free flock. 



In view of the shortage of equipment and materials, used poultry equipment 

 is in great demand and is being purchased by flock owners and hatcherymen. 

 Also, used equipment is sometimes being loaned among poultrymen without 

 certiun precautionary measures. The purchase or loan of used equipment is not 

 condemned, especially in war times, but if proper precautionary measures against 

 disease transmission are not taken, flock owners and hatcherymen may invite 

 trouble. 



With the shortage and high cost of labor, poultrymen are finding it very difficult 

 to do their work as efficiently as they would like. With all the problems con- 

 fronting the industry, it is natural that some practices have to be eliminated or 

 modified. Some flock owners have eliminated pullorum disease testing, which 

 cannot be regarded as sound procedure and a safeguard to the flock. It is hoped 

 that breeding flocks will be tested even though war time conditions may seem to 

 suggest otherwise. 



