12—Lancaster Farming Friday. December 24, 1971
Across the
Editor's Desk
Editor’s Note: The December
11 issue of Lancaster Farming
carried a page one article on a
“devastating" new strain of
foreign Newcastle disease which
has hit poultry industries in many
other countries and is now
beginning to appear in the U.S.
The lead article in the December
15 issue of the Poultry Times
carries the following report by
Craig E. Cook under a Fontana,
Calif., dateline:
A highly virulent form of
Newcastel disease is suspected of
having reared its ugly head in a
disease outbreak here which has
resulted in 80 per cent flock
mortality.
According to Ellsworth Kerr,
microbiologist at Poultry Antigen
Laboratores, Ontario, Calif., the
suspected velogenic Newcastle
outbreak occurred in a started
pullet operation here, which
totals 20,000 birds.
Illness in the flock initally
began in a 5,000 bird house of ten
week old pullets. Kerr said the
birds had been mass vaccinated
at four weeks of age, and were
due for revaccination shortly
after the outbreak.
A flock mortality of 80 per cent
was experienced in the 5,000 birds
hit with the suspected virus.
Because of its highly virulent
nature, Kerr said the airborne
strain of disease has now begun
to affect birds in two houses
adjacent to the first location.
A pheasant, suspected of
having carried the virus, was
seen milling around feed supplies
at the pullet operation. It is
possible the pheasant came from
a nearby operation which breeds
wild game birds. The suspected.
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06
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bird has now been captured, and
is being tested for Newcastle
disease in its velogenic form.
Last month a small one hun
dred bird back yard flock of
chickens was stricken with
Newcastle disease only a mile
from the present outbreak. In
that case, mortality was 92 per
cent, with remaining birds or
dered killed by federal
authorities.
Kerr said that virus samples
obtained from the pullet flock
have been diagnosed by Poultry
Antigen Labs as the highly
virulent velogenic Newcastle. He
added that samples of the virus
are now in the hands of biologists
at the virus repository of the
University of Wisconsin at
Madison, where they will be
classified.
In the meantime, he says, the
samples have also been con
firmed as velogenic Newcastle by
Dr. R.A. Bankowski at the
University of California at Davis.
As a preventative measure
against rapid spread of the
Newcastle strain, a hold order
preventing movement of birds
out of the infected pullet
operation, has been imposed by
state and federal authorities.
Kerr also said that authorities
are giving consideration to im
posing restrictions on movement
of all birds from the Fontana
area.
Federal officals are also
considering a “slaughter and
indemnity” program for the
stricken pullet flock. Such a
program would see the federal
. o’'
*S:
government ordering complete
killing and burning of all birds in
the operation, with owners
reimbursed for the chickens.
• * »
Editor’s Note: For many
years, until recently, the U.S.
horse population was declining so
rapidly it looked as though there
soon wouldn’t be many left. But
the decline was mostly in work
horses. For the growing non-farm
population, horses—like
bicycles—are suddenly
developing a new appeal. The
December issue of Electricity on
the Farm included the following
article entitled “There’s Gold in
Them Thar Horse-Lovers*
Pocketbooks’’ suggesting that
caring for pleasure horses offers
many business opportunities:
Today’s recreation-oriented
society is making horses an
important farm enterprise once
again. Authoritative estimates
put present horse population at
the highest it has been for several
decades—about 10 million and
growing 15 per. cent annually,
according to USDA. (Horse
population reached a peak of 27
million in 1918.)
Horses, today, are bred and
raised mainly for pleasure
purposes. People own horses for
various reasons—as a hobby, for
pets, recreation, show, sport, etc.
Actually, spectator horse
sports—racing and showing—
outdrawn the combined gate
attendance of professional and
college football plus baseball.
All this growing enthusiasm for
horses offers many farmers new
opportunitites for profitable
business ventures.
Many hobbyists start with their
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