32.3.1502    FLOCKS PRODUCING HATCHING EGGS

(1) Poultry houses and the land in the immediate vicinity thereof must be kept in a sanitary condition.

(2) Flocks must consist of healthy birds. An owner of any flock showing signs of an infectious, contagious or communicable disease may not sell hatching eggs until such time as the disease has been declared eliminated from the flock.

(3) The entire flock producing hatching eggs must be negative to an official pullorum-typhoid blood test made within the past 12 months. However, those flocks which have been negative to an official pullorum-typhoid blood test on the last two consecutive annual official tests and have confined all additions to the flock to birds from U.S. pullorum-typhoid clean flocks may be negative to an annual test consisting of at least 25% of the birds in the hatching-egg producing flock, the birds tested to be representative of all pens or units of birds on the premises. If pullorum-typhoid reactors are found on any test, the entire flock must be placed under quarantine, and the entire flock must pass two consecutive official pullorum-typhoid blood tests at least 21 days apart to be eligible for quarantine release and for hatching eggs produced from the flock to again be eligible to be sold.

(4) Each bird must be identified with a sealed numbered band. Under some conditions, other identification may be approved by the Montana department of livestock, animal health division.

(5) All domesticated fowl on the farm of the flock producing hatching eggs must either be properly tested to meet the same standards as the flock producing hatching eggs, or such birds and their eggs must be separated and maintained in a manner approved by the Montana department of livestock, animal health division.

(6) If pullorum, typhoid, or paratyphoid infection is found in a flock producing hatching eggs, no subsequent official blood test may be conducted until the previous reactors have been removed and the premises have been cleaned and disinfected.

History: Sec. 81-20-101 MCA; IMP, Sec. 81-20-101 MCA; Eff. 12/31/72.