Checklist for Adding 

or Replacing Poultry

If you see signs of illness, take action right away! Phone Number

Veterinarian 

Cooperative Extension Office 

State Veterinarian/Animal or Poultry Diagnostic Lab 

USDA 866.536.7593

Starting out with healthy poultry is the best way to keep flocks safe from disease. 

That means buying your poultry from sources that participate in the National Poultry 

Improvement Plan (NPIP, www.poultryimprovement.org). Always practice good 

biosecurity to ensure that your flocks remain healthy and free of disease. 

If you see or suspect anything unusual, call your flock supervisor, veterinarian, or 

cooperative extension office right away. Use this form to record phone numbers for 

contacts in your area. The earlier you act, the easier it is to contain the disease to 

a single flock.

Report Sick Birds

Check the list on the back for tips 

to help keep your flocks healthy.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

√
√ Checklist:Tips To Help Keep Your Flocks Healthy

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 2235-5 • Issued March 2019

This checklist is a general guide to practicing good biosecurity, but if you have a 

site-specific biosecurity plan, please follow it. Commercial growers should make sure 

their site-specific plans follow the NPIP biosecurity principles.

Only purchase or source poultry from 

NPIP-certified breeders, hatcheries, and 

dealers. When sourcing replacement poultry, 

you can request a copy of the hatchery or 

source farm’s biosecurity protocols. 

Confirm that the poultry you purchase

tested clean for the same diseases your 

current flock tested for. 

When purchasing poultry in person, check 

for signs of good health and approximate age. 

Do not purchase birds that appear old or 

unhealthy. 

Always transport replacement or new 

poultry in equipment and vehicles that are 

regularly cleaned, disinfected, and inspected. 

For commercial operations, the tractor/trailer 

carrying the birds should follow premises entry 

biosecurity protocols when entering the farm.

Be sure to clean and disinfect tools, cages, 

and any other equipment used for transport. 

Return empty cages to the trailer and then clean 

and decontaminate the cages before taking 

them to another site.

For more information about how to keep your flocks healthy, follow Defend the Flock on 

Facebook and Twitter and visit www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/defendtheflock.

Wear site-specific clothing, including footwear, 

when loading or delivering poultry. For commercial 

operations, personnel loading poultry cages into 

the trailer should wear site-specific clothing or not 

enter the Line of Separation. 

Once home, quarantine the new additions

for 30 days. Check for sneezing, coughing, nasal 

drainage, swollen eyes, mites, lice, and other 

health issues daily. 

After combining new birds with your existing 

flock, check original stock daily for any signs of 

illness. The stress of this change can cause an 

underlying illness to surface. 

To prevent bullying, do not add young poultry 

to your existing flock until all the birds are about 

the same size.

Did you know?

Mail-order hatcheries offer vaccines for day-old 

baby chicks. Check for needed vaccines in your 

area based on past disease outbreaks and what 

vaccines the hatchery administered.