Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Girls Have Their Healthcheck


One of the requirements of the Board of Health was that the girls be inspected by a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources within the first year. I never did understand if that was the first year of life or the first year of living with me or of laying eggs but in early May I did contact the inspector and had someone come out to see the girls. There are pictures posted of the inspection here.

Basically, chickens need to be certified that they are free of several diseases in part so that they may be freely transported without fear of disease being spread. This especially applies to folks who want to show chickens (not me) and it ensures that a chicken that is sold is in good health. I found out that the hatchery 3 of the girls came from qualifies them for automatic passing and they did not need to be tested. But since Eunice came from the Topsfield Poultry Auction she needed her blood tested.

So, on a lovely May afternoon the woman from the inspection department came, dressed up in a protective suit and drew blood from the girls for testing. A week later I received their certificate of good health and no sign of Avian Influenza or Pullorum. Each hen has a leg band certifying her good health. The state takes poultry disease prevention very seriously and I am glad I followed through with the exam.

From what I have heard from other chicken owners in other towns Beverly is more strict about poultry testing and I am glad for it.

1 comment:

PharmGirl825 said...

Sue,
Are you still keeping chickens?