Testing adult birds that are caught up helps to identify any infectious diseases that the birds may have been exposed to – before they are transferred to the rearing site. This can be particularly useful to stop the spread of disease such as Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, that can be passed from the mother hen to the chick.
Click here to check the rules that apply to the catching up of game birds both within and outside an avian influenza protection zone.
Although there is potential to search for many different diseases, we focus on the following three infectious pathogens that we know cause an issue during lay and with chick health:
- Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG)
- Infectious Bronchitis (IB)
- Avian Metapneumovirus (AMPV/TRT)
The benefits of blood testing
Blood is taken from a proportion of the caught-up birds (normally around 60 birds) and sent to an external laboratory for ELISA analysis. The test evaluates the level of antibodies present in the blood for specific infectious diseases – the presence of these indicates that the bird has been exposed to that disease (note that blood tests don’t identify recent exposure to disease if there hasn’t been sufficient time for antibodies to develop).
With vets based throughout the UK and Ireland, plus our work internationally – the result of this testing gives us a good understanding of any current or future challenges there may be.
What happens after the blood testing
After testing, our vets interpret the results and antibody levels and provide a likelihood as to which diseases the birds may be harbouring and in turn develop an approach to combat these challenges.
How to arrange
If you’d like to arrange blood testing for your birds, please get in touch with your local practice.
