Practice these good poultry hygiene and handling rules.

• Vaccinate your poultry against disease, or better still, purchase chicks that come from the hatchery already vaccinated against the big diseases (like Mareck's and Newcastle). Vaccinated day old chicks are available for minimal additional costs from most hatcheries.

• Allow your birds plenty of space.

• Keep down dust.

• Protect your young animals from cold, wind and rain.

• Keep your coop and yard clean.

• Keep rodents, wild birds and predators out of the coop.

• Remove and bury dead birds immediately.

  •                    Change your birds water daily.

•                    Clean the water containers frequently.

•                    Keep your feed containers free of feces.

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• Clean and disinfect the coop once a year.

• Think about selling or trading birds that have not been vaccinated.

• Keep a closed flock.

• Completely disinfect a contaminated coop and allow it to sit for four weeks before bringing in new birds.

• Keep family pets out.

• Keep poultry of about the same age caged together as older birds may carry disease and transmit them to younger birds.

• Place pens 50ft apart.

• Do not exchange equipment with other people who own poultry without disinfecting it first.

• Find out who your county extension AG agent is and use their knowledge as a resource!