Purchase chicks hatched in federally registered hatcheries ones that have been vaccinated and their parent flock has been certified healthy by a veterinarian.  Check if the seller has authentic government health certificates that prove the chicks you are about to purchase are healthy and from a healthy inspected flock.  If you are buying chicks directly from a farm, ask if they keep records, what bio-security measures do they use, are they inspected by the health authorities, can they produce a health certificate to match the chicks you are considering and do they keep a "closed flock".  

A closed flock is a means to prevent the spread of disease.  It is a practice in which there are never any juvenile or adult chickens added to the existing flock.  It means that expanding a closed flock would have to be by either hatching your own chicks derived from hatching eggs from a health certified flock / reputable hatchery with an NPIP certification, or by the introduction of day old chicks with NPIP health certification.

The chicks at Beau Peep Farms meet all of the criteria and then some!

Check our our selection of chicks at:

www.beaupeepfarms.ca

Have a clean and disinfected brooder area set up for them before they arrive.

Have a dip bath or biomat at all entrances to your bird area.  Use it to disinfect the soles of your footwear.

Be clean and showered with clean clothes prior to entering your birds space, especially if you have been
 off your premises.

Do not house baby chicks in the same building as adult birds. Always
attend to the youngest birds moving up to the oldest, changing coveralls
and dipping footwear between. Keep a pair of boots for poultry barn use only.

Know who your visitors are and where they come from. If they have birds of their own, or if they have visited another address with birds, they should not enter your premises without having showered and changed.

Offer your visitors some disposable coveralls and boots if they must enter your bird area.

If you have a bird that appears sick or dies under unknown circumstances, submit it personally to a government lab
for testing. (There is a nominal charge for this.)

Keep your facility clean and have some form of rodent control around coops and feed storage areas inaccessible to your poultry and other animals. Rodents and other animals can spread diseases to your flock.

Be sure that all equipment, whether new or used, is sanitized prior to use.

Do not purchase adult birds or chicks indiscriminately. Responsible growers will practice good bio-security themselves.
Check that the birds have had vaccinations and that the growers practice a "closed flock" approach.  Birds of unknown
origin such as rescues or those purchased at animal auctions pose a higher risk of introducing disease to your flock.  A bird can look perfectly healthy and be a carrier of harmful pathogens including viruses that can infect your birds.

Always quarantine new additions for at least three weeks prior to introducing them to your flock.  We recommend that you quarantine new arrivals for a minimum of 28 days before introducing the to your existing flock.  When bringing in new chicks keep batches from different sources separated to ensure that if one batch is carrying something, it doesn't affect the other batch(es).  If your bird has been to a public place such as a Veterinarian or a Poultry Show treat it as a new addition and quarantine before re-introduction to your flock.

Poultry from Beau Peep Farms has been isolated/quarantined during the time it has been with us. Though it is very unlikely, the peeps have been shipped to us, so in theory, they could have been exposed to a virus during transport.  We recommend that you continue to quarantine your new chicks until they are 30 days of age.  

If you are ill with cold or flu-like symptoms do not handle your birds without wearing a mask. 

Either wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling your birds and/or equipment
or use disposable gloves when handling birds, equipment, or picking eggs.

Check out this website for more information on How to Prevent and Detect Disease in Backyard Flocks and Pet Birds:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/diseases/bird-health-basics/eng/1323643634523/1323644740109
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or watch this YouTube video: 
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/biosecurity/tools/video/eng/1320092234079/1322158553549
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Follow the protocols of the National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standard http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/biosecurity/standards-and-principles/avian-on-farm/eng/1375193894256/1375193980266