VS Form 9-3, the Report of Sales of Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults, is the four-part record that National Poultry Improvement Plan participants complete for every interstate shipment of hatching eggs, chicks, or poults. You fill in the producer, product, and classification lines; a State Inspector signs to certify your NPIP participation and verify the disease classifications you claimed; then the four copies go to the shipment, the buyer’s state agency, your state agency, and your own file.
Who Has to File It
Any hatchery or flock owner participating in the NPIP must file a VS Form 9-3 for every interstate shipment of hatching eggs, chicks, or poults. The requirement is written into federal regulation: 9 CFR 145.12(b) names the form as one of the records a State Inspector examines during the mandatory annual audit of every flock kept for hatching-egg production.1eCFR. 9 CFR 145.12 APHIS and the receiving state’s agency both use submitted forms to track the movement of these products.2North Dakota Department of Agriculture. VS Forms Training – VS Form 9-3 Report of Sales of Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults
The plan covers a wide range of species under 9 CFR Part 145 — egg-type and meat-type chickens, turkeys, waterfowl, game birds, hobbyist and exhibition poultry, and ratites like ostriches and emus.3Cornell Law Institute. 9 CFR Part 145 – National Poultry Improvement Plan for Breeding Poultry If your flock falls under any of those subparts and you move hatching eggs or young birds across a state line, the form applies regardless of shipment size. Flocks raised for slaughter and sent directly to a processing facility fall under Part 146 instead, not Part 145.
One boundary to note before you start: a flock has to hold at least the U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean classification before it can generate a valid 9-3.4National Poultry Improvement Plan. NPIP Without active NPIP participation, the electronic form is unavailable and a paper form has nothing for the inspector to certify.
Where to Get the Form
You have two options: the NPIP online database or a paper copy from your Official State Agency.
The electronic form lives inside the participant database at poultryimprovement.org. Active participants log in, complete the form on screen, and submit it directly to their OSA. Several fields fill themselves from the database, including the report number, the producer or shipper name, and the flock’s current NPIP classifications.5National Poultry Improvement Plan. NPIP Website and Database After submitting, you can save a PDF for your records and for the shipment itself. Inactive participants cannot access the electronic form.
Not every state uses the online system. According to recent NPIP training materials, 11 states had no participants filing electronically.5National Poultry Improvement Plan. NPIP Website and Database If your state hasn’t adopted it, or you prefer paper, contact your OSA for blank copies. The NPIP publishes a directory of every state’s agency representative, with phone numbers and email addresses, under the “Official State Agencies” tab at poultryimprovement.org.6National Poultry Improvement Plan. Official State Agencies
Filling In Lines 1 Through 10
The form has 14 numbered lines. You complete the first ten; the State Inspector handles the rest.2North Dakota Department of Agriculture. VS Forms Training – VS Form 9-3 Report of Sales of Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults
Lines 1–3 ask for producer and shipper information: your name, your NPIP participant number, and your business address. The program is adding fields for a separate physical address and phone number, so include both mailing and physical location.
Line 4 is the quantity. Count individual eggs, chicks, or poults — not cases, boxes, or dozens. Miscounting here is one of the most common processing problems.
Line 5 is the variety, strain, or trade name. Use a separate line for each distinct product. White Leghorn chicks and Rhode Island Red chicks go on their own rows even if they ship together.
Line 6 is the product column. Mark one of the five choices to describe what you’re shipping: hatching eggs, chicks, poults, and so on.
Line 7 is sex. Mark male, female, or straight run. Hatching eggs are recorded as straight run.
Line 8 is type, with three categories. Commercial Production Stock covers eggs or baby poultry not meant for breeding. Multiplier Breeding Stock is breeding stock whose offspring will go to commercial production or exhibition and won’t be used to reproduce further. Primary Breeding Stock is breeding stock whose offspring will themselves be bred.
Line 9 is the classification block. Check every NPIP disease classification the product qualifies for. At minimum, U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean should be checked; U.S. Avian Influenza Clean and other classifications may apply depending on your testing history. In the electronic form these boxes auto-populate from your flock’s database record, which prevents you from claiming a classification you don’t hold.5National Poultry Improvement Plan. NPIP Website and Database On paper, verify your active classifications with your OSA before ticking anything.
Line 10 is remarks: comments, permit numbers, or any special instructions relevant to the shipment.
Lines 11–14: The State Inspector’s Signatures
The bottom four lines are not yours to complete. They require a State Inspector at two separate moments, and confusing them is a frequent problem.
Line 11 is the inspector’s signature certifying that your flock is participating in the NPIP and is in good standing on that date. Line 12 is the date of that signature. Some agencies will pre-sign Line 11 for active participants so the form is ready to travel.2North Dakota Department of Agriculture. VS Forms Training – VS Form 9-3 Report of Sales of Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults
Line 13 is a separate signature that should not be applied until the inspector has verified the specific classifications you checked on Line 9. Signing Line 13 means the inspector has personally confirmed each one. Line 14 is the date of that verification. A form with Line 11 signed but Line 13 blank means participation is certified but the disease classifications on that particular shipment have not yet been verified. Coordinate with your OSA well before your planned ship date so both signatures can be obtained in time.
Distributing the Four Copies
VS Form 9-3 is a four-part document, and each part has its own destination.2North Dakota Department of Agriculture. VS Forms Training – VS Form 9-3 Report of Sales of Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults
- Part 1 travels with the shipment as proof of health status for anyone inspecting the birds in transit or on arrival.
- Part 2 goes to the foreign purchaser on export shipments, or to the domestic purchaser’s Official State Agency on interstate shipments, after Lines 13 and 14 are completed.
- Part 3 goes to your own state’s OSA.
- Part 4 stays with you as a permanent business record.
If you file electronically, the system routes the form to your OSA automatically when you click submit, and states can designate a dedicated email address to receive electronic 9-3 forms.5National Poultry Improvement Plan. NPIP Website and Database You still need to print a copy for the shipment and keep one for your files.
How Long to Keep the Records
Federal regulations require you to keep all VS Form 9-3 records for at least three years. The same retention period applies to your other NPIP paperwork, including VS Form 9-2 flock testing reports, set and hatch records, egg receipts, and order invoices.1eCFR. 9 CFR 145.12 A State Inspector reviews these records during your annual audit, so keep them organized and easy to pull. Missing or incomplete forms found during an audit can trigger an on-site inspection of your flock and premises if the inspector suspects a breach of testing or sanitation rules.
Mistakes That Delay or Invalidate a Shipment
A handful of errors account for most of the trouble with this form. Counting in cases or dozens on Line 4 instead of individual units throws off inventory tracking at the state level. Checking a classification on Line 9 that your flock hasn’t earned, or one whose test has lapsed, can prompt your state agency to require re-inspection or to suspend your ability to ship. On paper forms, cramming multiple varieties onto one Line 5 row instead of giving each its own line makes the form hard to verify and slows processing.
The other frequent stumble is treating the inspector’s lines as optional. A form without a signature on Line 11 does not certify NPIP participation, and a form without a signature on Line 13 does not verify the classifications you claimed. Some agencies will pre-sign Line 11, but Line 13 has to be applied form by form after the inspector reviews the specific classifications marked on that shipment. Build the inspector’s time into your shipping schedule, not the other way around.