The Poultry Breeding Flocks and Hatcheries (Registration and Testing) Order 1989

PART I samples to be taken from breeding flocks for bacteriological testing

1.  Except as otherwise provided in paragraph 2 below, the number of samples to be taken shall be as follows–

Number of birds kept in a house or, on premises on which birds have free access to more than one house, number of birds in each group of houses on such premises	Number of samples to be taken from that house or group of houses on those premises
25–29	20
30–39	25
40–49	30
50–59	35
60–89	40
90–199	50
200–499	55
500 or more	60

2.  The samples to be taken shall comprise–

(a) one chick box liner, up to a maximum of 10, for every 500 chicks delivered from each hatchery to any rearing premises on any day, such samples to be taken on the day of the arrival of the chicks there;

(b) the carcases of all chicks, up to a maximum of 60, from each hatchery, which are dead on arrival at any rearing premises, such samples to be taken on the day of the arrival of the chicks there;

(c) the carcases of all birds, up to a maximum of 60, which die or are culled within 4 days of their arrival at any rearing premises or, in the case of birds hatched on any rearing premises, within 4 days of being hatched;

(d) the carcases of all birds, up to a maximum of 60, which die or are culled over a period of 4 consecutive days when between 3 and 5 weeks of age, which samples shall be taken over such period, except that, if the total number of such carcases taken during such period is less than the number of samples specified in the second column of the table in paragraph 1 above the difference shall be made up by–

(i) a composite faeces sample consisting of an equivalent number of individual samples, or

(ii) an equivalent number of cloacal swabs, taken at the rate of one swab from each bird;

(e) the carcases of all birds at grandparent level and above, up to a maximum of 60, which die or are culled over a period of 4 consecutive days when between 8 and 12 weeks of age, which samples shall be taken over such period, except that, if the total number of carcases taken during such period is less than the number of samples specified in the second column of the table in paragraph 1 above the difference shall be made up by–

(i) a composite faeces sample consisting of an equivalent number of individual samples, or

(ii) an equivalent number of cloacal swabs, taken at the rate of one swab from each bird;

(f) (i) the carcases of all birds, up to a maximum of 60, which die or are culled over a period of 4 consecutive days taken either 3 to 5 weeks before the surviving birds are transferred to laying accommodation, or when the birds are between the ages of 16 and 22 weeks in the case of domestic fowls, 18 and 22 weeks in the case of ducks, 26 and 30 weeks in the case of turkeys and 30 and 36 weeks in the case of geese, whichever occurs later, which samples shall be taken over such a period, except that, if the total number of carcases taken during such period is less than the number of samples specified in the second column of the table in paragraph 1 above the difference shall be made up by––a composite faeces sample consisting of an equivalent number of individual samples, or–an equivalent number of cloacal swabs, taken at the rate of one swab from each bird; and

(ii) a single composite sample of 50 grams of dust consisting of equal amounts of dust from each ventiliation outlet in the house;

(g) in the case of birds whose eggs are hatched at a hatchery with a total incubator capacity of less than 1,000 eggs or whose eggs are not being hatched–

(i) a composite faeces sample consisting of a number of individual samples calculated in accordance with the said table, or

(ii) a number of cloacal swabs, calculated in accordance with the table in paragraph 1 above and taken at the rate of one swab from each bird;

such samples being taken within 1 week of the birds attaining 26 and 30 weeks of age and at 8 week intervals thereafter;

(h) after a house has been depopulated of poultry and before it is restocked the following samples shall be taken–

(i) an individual large cotton bud swab moistened with sterile Buffered Peptone Water (BPW)(1) from each fan housing;

(ii) an individual large cotton bud swab moistened with sterile BPW from––each of the four corners of the house at floor level;–the centre of each of the four walls of the house at floor level, and–two crevices in the house;

(iii) each food weighing hopper or each food dispensing hopper within each house; and

(i) in the case of any nest boxes which have been removed from a house, before they are put back in the house swabs moistened with sterile BPW shall be taken from the interior of such boxes at the rate of one in 20.

3.  In the case of domestic fowls, the samples referred to in paragraph 2(f) above, other than the carcases of birds, shall be taken under the supervision of an officer of the Minister.

4.  Where any samples are taken over a period of 4 consecutive days such samples shall be stored in a refrigerator at between 1°C and 4°C until they are dispatched to a laboratory and, in the case of any other samples, where they cannot be dispatched to a laboratory within 24 hours of being taken they shall be stored in a refrigerator at that temperature until so dispatched.

(1)

Buffered Peptone Water – Edel and Kapelmacher (1973) (Commercially available as Oxoid CM 509, Lab M46 or equivalent).