We always recommend that small and backyard poultry owners purchase their birds from NPIP-certified hatcheries. The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) was originally created to eliminate Salmonella pullorum disease from poultry flocks. Pullorum can be transferred from hen to chick so breeders are screened for the disease. More recently the program has been expanded to include other poultry diseases of concern with testing and monitoring for Salmonella typhoid, Salmonella enteritidis, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synoviae, Mycoplasma meleagridis, and Avian Influenza. NPIP is not just for commercial poultry. It also includes turkeys, waterfowl, exhibition poultry, backyard poultry, and game birds.
Dr. Julie Helm from Clemson University in South Carolina will be discussing NPIP in relation to small and backyard poultry flocks. Dr. Helm is a poultry extension veterinarian and NPIP inspector for the state of South Carolina.
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