First TB Testing

We are doing our first TB test on Wednesday and I am wondering if anyone has some advice or hints to help it go smoothly? Things I may not think of that other deer farms do during the test while they have them down. Thank you in advance for all the posts.

Travis how many deer do you have to do??

Travis,

If you are knocking them down... at minimum I give our deer a bag of fluids and a broad-spectrum antibiotic. I like to have the fluids at least at room temperature if the weather is cold like it is here at this time of year, i do not give them cold. also try to keep there body somewhat facing down hill if possible when knocked down. We just finished our 2nd test last week, we ran all our deer through the chute, we gave vaccinations , probiotics, and de-wormed as well...they were given on the day of the reading..some guys say it could effect the test if given the first day..i didnt find any proof but had enough to worry about on the test day (65animals). if they are going to be knocked out you probably want to take them off feed and water...you may already have all this done and planned...just in case...Good luck!





Jarrid Barry

Powder Ridge Whitetails

717-821-0669

[email protected]

PRWhitetails said:

Travis,

If you are knocking them down... at minimum I give our deer a bag of fluids and a broad-spectrum antibiotic. I like to have the fluids at least at room temperature if the weather is cold like it is here at this time of year, i do not give them cold. also try to keep there body somewhat facing down hill if possible when knocked down. We just finished our 2nd test last week, we ran all our deer through the chute, we gave vaccinations , probiotics, and de-wormed as well...they were given on the day of the reading..some guys say it could effect the test if given the first day..i didnt find any proof but had enough to worry about on the test day (65animals). if they are going to be knocked out you probably want to take them off feed and water...you may already have all this done and planned...just in case...Good luck!





Jarrid Barry

Powder Ridge Whitetails

717-821-0669

[email protected]

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jarrid, is that ( LT ) IN THE PIC ????

We only have 9 above the age requirment but as you all know nerves are on the rise, cant afford to loose one

It is my opinion that if you have to sedate for TB testing, it should only be done if the deer are scheduled to move. The risks of sedation and the inaccuracy of the present testing methods make this endeavor counter-productive. There will be a USDA approved blood test for TB very soon if not already approved. I would check with USDA first.

Great words again scott. We have our test due in march. Our guy told us to hold off if it has not gone thru by then. Some might not know but you can go over your date by a bit and still be ok with your testing. I sure hope it goes thru soon so as to stay farther away from fawning time. Ny does not require bruc testing so i am having my whole herd tb and bruc tested this year. I believe i will be the only farm in ny that will be tested for both so that would open up sales to any state if needed!!! I believe all Ny farms should do the same if they have not done so. The ones that sell animals will need it to sell outside the state!!!

If you are thinking of waiting and testing a little late BE SURE and check with your State USDA Vet. In Illinois our USDA state Vet has a very narrow view of the TB laws and testing schedule. Be sure to check and get in writing if they allow you change your testing dates. I'm not trying to say our Vet is a bad person, I just know he is by the letter on testing.

Im sure you are correct matt and i might not wait but we have a 90 day window before we can lose our status. If it was not for the bruc part i would not wait at all. If we do wait we have to make sure the does that we sold are moved before then because they will stop your movement of deer untill the test is complete. I my case it will be no problem because the 4 we sold will be delivered this month and no more sold till after fawning. It will be nice to be able to have the deer pre tested as in our case being a bruc free state and we sold one to pa she had to have blood drawn and tested before she could be moved into pa. Kind of a pain when each state have different rules!!!

If your state does not require testing of your herd, why would you test? I understand testing prior to shipping, but to test cart blanche is somewhat risky. Years ago, I too had aspirations of maintaining a certified herd. I knocked down all of them and had the state vet come out to perform the shaving and injection of the innoculant. 3 days later, I knocked them all down again and the same state vet read the test areas. One of my tamest does was read as suspect. That put an immediate quaranteen on my herd and required a "re-test". This doe was hand injectable and we went through the process again.....2 more tranqs. She read the same and was then labled a "reactor". Now this doe was as healthy a deer as I had, and no way did I or the vet suspect she had TB but the test showed a bump of 6mm. The vet recommended a "comparative test". This required a waiting period of 90 days, which extended my quaranteen and caused me to miss several sales. He explained to me the test showed many false positives, especially on deer that had been exposed to avian TB which they cannot contract. We knocked her down again, and injected both the avian and the bovine TB innoculant and when we knocked her down for the 6th time, the test showed a reaction to the avian, but iot the bovine. He also admitted to me that he may have placed the original injections too deep into the dermal layer, causing the bump. So.......from then on, I have only tested animals ready to ship. That's my TB testing experience. I hope your's is better. Good Luck! BTW, I still have the doe, this June she will turn 22 years old.

Scott with NY being a bruc free state we do not need to do that test. We have to tb test every 3 years. I sold a deer to pa and they make you test for bruc so we had to draw blood while she was down. Our ag guy has been talking about the new blood testing thats trying to get on the books and my tb date is in march. He thinks it will be passed by then but if not i have a grace period after my due date to do my testing. I wont be able to move deer during that period which is fine as i have sold as many as i could sell. If the blood testing does not come through in time i might just go ahead and do the reg tb test and then bruc test any deer that i sell out of state. I hope this test passes through as it will be so much easier on the deer and the farmer to just touch the deer once and draw blood to do both tb and bruc tests!!!

Mike, just so you know, if I bought a deer from a herd that was not brucellosis tested, Ohio would require you to test it before movement, and me to quarantine that deer for 90 days and retest it before I could let it join our herd. I will not do that since deer do not do well by thenselves. I think you would be better off becoming bruc. certified.

Steve i agree 100% and i sure hope they get enough blood samples to send this test through. If all states had the same rules it would be less of a headache when it came to moving deer. I am not sure if the same would apply for stocker bucks going into hunting ranches. I am not sure of the 90 day thing in your state!! I think that might be overkill. If she tested negitive on the test she should be good to go as i dont think it would just pop up in the 90 days. I know the pa deer went right into the new owners herd!!!! I have heard some talk that the blood test has passed for reindeer and red deer but not on elk or whitetails yet. Sounds kinda backwards as there has to be more whitetails behind wire than either of those.

First half of test went down very smooth thank you for all info on the forum and pm's.

I heard that an issue with the blood test was that there were no "backup" tests if you have a false positive. In other words, you could have the best and healthiest deer on your farm come up positive, and you only have one option for that deer. So in the situation Scott described, you would basically be screwed. Anyone else hear this, or was this just the case in the experimental phase?

If they came back positive they could always fall back on the old test they have been using for years. They would have 2 ways to test. I guess they have that now its just that they need to pass the blood test. Im not sure why they would not pass it if it works and they still do have the old shave the neck trick to come back on!!!

I hope you're right Mike. I heard that the blood test supersedes the skin prick; they won't overrule a blood test with a skin prick. It's just what I heard from a vet- I hope it's wrong. If what I heard is true, I won't use the blood test- it's not worth the risk- a false positive would cost us a deer.

If the prick has been ok for them for this many years and they did blood and it came positive i dont see why they would not atleast go back and try the prick test....Why not!!!!! If a test comes back positive for either test they would have to do something and with either test you could lose a deer. Like you say i dont believe we will ever have a problem with tb and with blood my herd can be bruc tested also so they can go to other states.

Let's hope common sense rules the decision, but we all know how common sense isn't always very common. Hey- maybe what I heard was just hearsay and completely wrong! But....if what I heard is right, just remember: a positive on a skin prick can be double checked and will be able to be proved as a false positive. If you have a false positive on blood and (IF) it can't be double checked, then what? That's what I meant by costing a deer. I just want to make sure we are all aware of the potential fine print and potential risks. For now, skin prick TB testing every three years isn't bad enough to make me want to change unless I know what the protocol is for sure, and I know a false positive still leaves me a way out. I hope someone can prove that what I heard was wrong!!!

I visited with shawn schaffer at the top 30 on this blood test. Looks like we will have it by fall. If there is positives and there will be false ones like the blood test then they wil do the comparative skin test like in the past. At least most deer will only be handled once. The big advantage is no shave marks on stocker bucks if it is your fall to test.