I have questions... lots of questions The APHIS site is rather vague and I know at least one member on here is NPIP certified. I'm not even sure where to start... I know every chicken is tested for Pullorum and Typhoid annually. All infected birds are killed but both diseases have high chick mortality rates so I know we don't have either. What else are they tested for? What are the pros and cons of going through with this?

You are a little off on that. If one, and I mean one of your chickens fail the test, they will all be destroyed, and your farm will be quarantined from raising fowl for like 10 years or something. You have to be tested to legally ship birds. I got tested a while back, but am still waiting on my papaerwork...damn government! Also, if you have a tested farm, you can't bring any fowl that hasn't been tested on your farm, period. It also gives you more rights to keep people off your farm for biosecurity reasons. They just test for the P & T. You just need to find someone in your area that is certified to do it, or take the course when offered by your state to get certified to do it yourself. Once tested, you just pay 15 bucks, and wait on the damn government! lol

I knew that they all got killed Were you worried about the test at all? I am sure we don't have either disease but the thought of possibly losing everything makes me sick. The shipping is the reason we were considering it. We will have to get rid of or pen all the free range chickens (more pens and we all know how he feels about that). We have a lot of chickens, mostly my fault since I want to name and keep everything, and catching each one to test will be a logistical nightmare.

Well, in the U.S. it really isn't a problem. We just don't have issues with this here, so don't be concerned. Catching them all can be a problem, but depending on who you get to test you, they won't have to get every last one. If one has it on your yard, they all will, so if you get some one who is easy going, it shouldn't be too tough to get through. The worst part for me was the turkeys, those damn things beat me to death getting a hold of them!

I'll hope for easy going. Some of the hens look alike anyhow and you are as likely to test one twice as to get both.
I almost forgot you had turkeys... are they as bad as geese? I've been beaten by a goose... in a misdirected effort to get me to kill an animal my father (with no sons) took me (only child) out to shoot geese. My chocolate lab retrieved one and it was only stunned not dead and it started beating it's wings furiously and *wham*... Luckily I married a man with no problem killing things and gave my father two grandsons.

My turkeys are fairly tame, but they don't want to be held! They are strong as hell, and can really give you a beat down when you try to grab them! lol

Yep, I think every state does their own thing, but it is a federal thing for mailing, it just isn't enforced as of right now typically.

I'm not sure if we want to sell chicks... hatching eggs and adult birds are a definate and sooner or later they will crack down and no one who isn't certified will be able to ship. The APHIS site has an e-mail address for the guy who takes care of this in Kansas and can put us in touch with a tester. I need to e-mail him and see what fees we have here.

Can you pick the time of year that your birds are tested? I release all of my hens in late spring and let them run til early winter. I catch them all up then to worm, cull, wingband and decide which to breed and which to eat.