Back Yard Poultry Necropsy Information Page

Backyard Poultry Necropsy Information

If you own a small/backyard poultry flock (including chickens, turkeys, ducks, and/or geese) and have had one or more of your birds die, please follow these guidelines for submission.

Please keep the bird refrigerated and do not freeze. 

You will need to fill out the Avian Necropsy Submission Form 

If you are hand delivering your bird to the lab:

You can fill out the submission form on your computer, print it, and bring it with you to the lab or you can complete the form at the lab if arriving during business hours (8 am to 5 pm).  Please leave all animals in your vehicle until you have checked in at the office.  You will be given instructions to drop your animals at the rear of the building once all paperwork is complete.

If you need to drop the bird off after hours, there is a drop off location at the rear of the building.  At the rear of the building, climb the steps onto the loading dock and find the toolbox cart containing submission forms.  Please remove a submission form from the cart and completely fill it out.  Detach the band from the paperwork. Securely place the band on/around the bird or package (box/bag).  If you brought your own completed submission form, please remove a band from a blank form and write this band number on your paperwork so that your animal can be matched up with your paperwork.  Place the completed paperwork into the metal mailbox mounted to the outside wall near the toolbox and put the animal(s)/sample(s) into the necropsy cooler. 

To access the cooler, pull on plastic disposable shoe covers (available on the wall next to the door), open the blue double doors, and walk into the foyer.  The necropsy cooler will be on your left.  Push the white plastic button on the cooler door in to open the door.  The door is not locked but it may need to be pushed hard to open.  Place your labeled animal(s)/sample(s)onto the wire cart, into an empty wheelbarrow, or onto the floor if there are no empty carts.

If you are shipping the bird:

You will need to place a copy of the completed Avian Submission Form in the box with the bird before shipment.  Please place the submission form in a sealed Ziploc bag to keep it from getting wet.

Please double bag the bird(s) to prevent any leakage during shipment and place into an insulated box with gel ice packs (do not use regular ice as this will melt and may leak during shipment which could result in refusal by the carrier). 

Please ship OVERNIGHT by UPS or FedEx (the USPS does not deliver directly to our building and could cause delays). DO NOT ship on a Friday or right before a holiday.  The lab cannot receive packages over the weekend or days that we are closed.  If you have a bird die over the weekend or holiday, keep the bird(s) refrigerated and ship the next business day. See all holiday closures at the bottom right of this page.

Ship your package to:

Animal Diagnostic Lab

131 Pastureview Rd

University Park, PA  16803

If your carrier does not have this address in their system (many times they don't) please ask them to over ride the system and mark this as the actual shipping address.  This is the correct address and we will receive the package.  Do not allow them to choose a similar address in the system, as this could cause the package to be delivered onto campus and it may or may not eventually make it to us.

Results

You should receive a preliminary report within 3 business days of the completed necropsy of your bird.  The results will be sent to you using the method marked on the submission form (fax, email, US Mail).  If results are being sent to an email address they will come from USALIMS@pa.gov so please add this address to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive your report in your inbox, and check your spam folder daily.  A final report will take additional time and depends on the type of testing required to arrive at a final diagnosis.

Billing

The cost of a backyard poultry necropsy starts at $58 and includes all testing that will be performed within the PADLS system.  If requested, additional testing performed at non-PADLS labs may incur additional charges.  Multiple birds of the same species can be necropsied on the same accession for a single charge.  Note that the fee for necropsy of pet avian species (including parrots, parakeets, pigeons, etc.) starts at $88.00. 

Contact

Please call or email us with any questions.

814-863-0837 or adlhelp@psu.edu

It is not required, but it is helpful to call or email us in advance so that we know to expect the arrival of your bird for necropsy. 

For more information, please refer to this article: https://extension.psu.edu/submitting-poultry-cases-to-the-animal-diagnostic-lab