Showing Poultry by Glenn Drowns

Author:Glenn Drowns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: chicken, raising, animals, poultry, chicken breeds, exhibiting poultry, showing poultry, poultry showmanship, waterfowl, ducks, geese, county fair, turkeys, guinea, fancy, how to hold a chicken, cage training, bathing a bird, judging process, show record
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 2016-01-06T05:00:00+00:00

Paperwork

Another essential issue to address during this last month’s countdown to the show is your paperwork — getting it all together, including double-checking what blood tests you will need. It also never hurts to double-check entry forms, check-in times, and any other requirements for the show.

Pullorum-Typhoid (P-T) Test

Pullorum-typhoid (P-T) tests are called whole blood plate tests, and results are obtained within 2 minutes of submitting the blood sample. Pullorum-typhoid has nearly been eliminated in the United States, so a positive test is rare. Sometimes a false positive may be obtained, and the bird or a larger sample of blood will have to be sent off to the state laboratory for further analysis.

Many states require a negative P-T test within 90 days of a show; however, many shows have stricter requirements. Some now test birds as they enter the show, for both security and simplicity. This policy ensures that you are bringing the actual bird that was tested and that it hasn’t been recontaminated back on the farm. It also means the exhibitor makes fewer trips with the birds to the show or testing area.

If you have never observed a P-T test and are fearful about what it may do to your bird, I assure you it is a fairly simple test. The tester holds the bird and takes a sample (a large drop of blood) from the vein under the wing. The blood sample is placed on a test plate and a drop of test solution is added from a controlled-size dropper.

An experienced tester will leave nothing but the smallest mark on most birds and little if any bruising. I have judged birds that have been tested by less skilled people, however, and they have large hematomas and severe bruising. Unfortunately, you are at the mercy of the tester. Hopefully, through experience, all testers will develop the skill to make sure the bird is not seriously damaged. Modern broiler chickens and commercial strains of turkeys are particularly susceptible to these issues.

All of these what-ifs are the reason you do not want to wait until the last minute to have testing done, just in case. While it is not good to procrastinate, it is also important to double-check the guidelines for testing established by your show.

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