Poultry Health and Biosecurity

Exhibition Testing Requirements:
To maintain our pullorum/typhoid-free status, the State must conduct a surveillance testing program. At exhibitions, all chickens, turkeys, and game birds, regardless of age, must be accompanied by a certificate or test chart approved to show compliance with the following requirement:
• Pullorum-typhoid – originate from a hatchery or breeding flock that is classified U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean under the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP); or be negative to a pullorum-typhoid test within 90 days prior to the opening date of exhibition.

All out-of-state poultry must meet Alabama importation requirements and can be found here.

Helpful Links

Chickens in chicken house

Poultry Health

Pullorum-Typhoid (P-T) Disease

Pullorum-Typhoid (P-T) is a disease caused by a Salmonella species that infects chickens, turkeys, and other types of poultry. It is egg-transmitted and can produce high death loss in hatchlings and young birds. Birds that survive a P-T infection are usually carriers for life and source of the disease for other birds.

P-T has been nearly eliminated from poultry flocks in the United States because of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). Blood-testing potential breeding birds and culling infected birds are required to eradicate this disease. Breeders that test negative produce non-infected hatching eggs, chicks and poults.

Alabama is a Pullorum-Typhoid Clean State. Annual testing is conducted to validate the Pullorum Clean flock status.

Avian Influenza

Avian influenza viruses are highly contagious, extremely variable viruses that are widespread in birds. Wild birds in aquatic habitats are the natural reservoir hosts, but domesticated poultry are readily infected. Most viruses cause only mild disease in poultry and are called low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses can develop from certain LPAI viruses, usually while they are circulating in avian populations. HPAI viruses can cause 90-100% mortality in infected flocks, and cause epidemics that may spread rapidly, devastate the poultry industry and result in severe trade restrictions. Trade restrictions also result from infection of poultry with LPAI viruses. Avian influenza viruses occasionally affect mammals, including humans, usually after close contact with infected poultry.

The Alabama Department of Ag & Industries continues to work together with Alabama’s poultry industry and other state and federal agencies to prepare for and respond to introductions of influenza in poultry. The Poultry Division also works cooperatively with the commercial and backyard poultry industries of Alabama to maintain an Avian Influenza surveillance program.

Poultry owners should monitor their flocks and report any possible symptoms to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries at 334-240-6584.

NPIP PROGRAM BACKGROUND

The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) is a cooperative Federal-State-Industry mechanism developed for controlling certain poultry diseases. The Plan consists of a variety of programs intended to prevent and control egg-transmitted, hatchery disseminated poultry diseases. NPIP identifies states, flocks, hatcheries, and dealers that meet certain disease control standards specified in the various programs. As a result, customers can buy poultry that has tested clean of certain diseases or that has been produced under disease-prevention conditions. Being a member of NPIP also allows greater ease in moving hatching eggs/live birds within the state, across state lines, and into other countries. In fact, most countries will not accept hatching eggs/live birds unless they can be shown to be an NPIP participant.

Presently under the National Poultry Improvement Plan, Alabama is proud to be designated as a U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean State.

 

 

NPIP PARTICIPANTS ARE CLASSIFIED UNDER THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES(SUBPARTS):

  • Subpart B - Egg-Type Chicken
  • Subpart C - Meat-Multiplier Type Chicken
  • Subpart D - Turkey
  • Subpart E - Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Bird Breeding Flocks
  • Subpart H - Meat-Primary Type Chicken
  • Subpart J- Egg/Meat-Type Game Bird and Raised-for-Release Game Bird Breeding Flocks

For a list of NPIP Participants by State follow the link and select the desired state.

NPIP FLOCK/HATCHERY PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR (SUBPARTS B, C, D, H):

  • Pullorum-Typhoid Clean
  • Mycoplasma gallisepticum Clean
  • Mycoplasma synoviae Clean
  • Mycoplasma meleagridis Clean
  • Avian Influenza Clean
  • Salmonella enteritidis Clean
  • Mycoplasma gallisepticum Monitored
  • Mycoplasma synoviae Monitored
  • Salmonella Monitored
  • Sanitation Monitored

NPIP FLOCK/HATCHERY PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR THE WATERFOWL, EXHIBITION POULTRY, AND GAME BIRD FLOCKS (SUBPART E, J):

  • Pullorum-Typhoid Clean
  • Avian Influenza Clean

Permitting

Classifications requiring annual licensure by ADAI Animal Industries-Poultry Unit via this application:

  1. Backyard Hatchery/Independent Breeding Flock:

Definition(s):

Backyard Hatchery: Any establishment that operates hatchery equipment for the production of baby chicks (poults, goslings, etc.)

a. owns breeder birds that are laying fertile eggs and there will be sales of the hatching eggs -OR- hatching those eggs and selling the chicks.

b. no breeder birds on site, but fertile eggs are purchased, hatched and sold as chicks.

Independent Breeding Flock: owns a flock of waterfowl, exhibition poultry, or game birds for sale and/or show purposes.

Requirements:

  • Agree to comply with all laws of the State of Alabama and all regulations of the State Department of Agriculture and Industries relating to said backyard hatchery operation.
  • Specifically agree to sell or offer for sale only baby chicks, turkey poults or hatching eggs originating in flocks that have met the minimum requirements of the National Poultry

Improvement Plan as administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and said flocks must be qualified as U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean or have metequivalent requirements for Pullorum-Typhoid control under official supervision.

2. Chick Dealer

Definition:

Any firm or corporation that buys baby chicks, hatching eggs, turkey poults, ducks, geese or other poultry and sells or offers them for sale

Requirements:

  • Every chick dealer agrees to sell or offer for sale only baby chicks, turkey poults, ducks, geese, other poultry, or hatching eggs originating in poultry flocks that have met the minimum requirements of the National Poultry Improvement Plan as administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and said flocks must be tested to zero percent reactors to Salmonella Pullorum and Typhoid
    by one of the recognized methods of testing, the last test being made within the testing year immediately preceding the date of sale of hatching eggs. Each dealer will require the shipping hatchery to furnish a VS Form 9-3 with each shipment, and will retain those forms for inspection by ADAI.

3. Commercial Hatchery

Definition:

A commercial hatchery includes equipment on one premises operated or controlled by a company for the production and sale of baby poultry. Eggs at a meat-type commercial hatchery are supplied by a multiplier breeding flock (commercial producer with 75,000 birds or more).

Requirements:

  • Agree to comply with all laws of the State of Alabama and all regulations of the State Department of Agriculture and Industries relating to said commercial hatchery operation.
  • Specifically agree to sell or offer for sale only baby chicks, turkey poults or hatching eggs originating in flocks that have met the minimum requirements of the National Poultry

Improvement Plan as administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and said flocks must be qualified as U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean or have met equivalent requirements for Pullorum-Typhoid control under official supervision.