Three organic N-halamine compounds (combined halogen disinfectants) were compared with free chlorine (as calcium hypochlorite) as bactericides against Salmonella typhimurium and unidentified normal poultry bacterial flora under controlled conditions of pH, temperature, and halogen demand similar to those encountered in poultry processing. Two of the compounds (3-chloro-4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazolidinone and 1,3-dichloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-imidazolidinone) at a concentration of 50 mg/L were found to cause a 99.9999% decline in viable organisms in less than 1 min at 48 C, whereas a third compound (1-bromo-3-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-imidazolidinone) was found to be less suitable (5.6 min to 99.9999% decline under the same conditions).