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Register as a keeper of 50 or more poultry or other captive birds

How to register if you keep 50 or more birds, including any you keep as pets.

Updates to this page

From:
Animal and Plant Health Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published:
6 November 2018
Last updated:
30 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. We've updated the section, 'After you have registered'. If you keep 50 or more birds, you need to update your kept birds record when the number of birds you keep changes by 20% or more (except for normal seasonal stocking changes).

  2. Added a link to a new online service to confirm changes to your details or the details of birds you keep.

  3. Updated the Welsh version of the guidance to reflect recent updates to the English version.

  4. Updated introduction to clarify that you must register within one month of keeping poultry or other captive birds at any premises in England or Wales.

  5. Updated information in the introduction about when you must register.

  6. We've added updated versions of the forms 'Register as a keeper of 50 or more poultry' and 'Register as a keeper of 50 or more other captive birds'. We've also added a Welsh version of the page.

  7. Updated the PDF forms and details section. Welsh translations of the forms and other information will be available soon.

  8. Added a link to the Scottish Government website to register your birds if in Scotland.

  9. Updated the phone number in Get Help.

  10. Added a link under the details section to the online service to register under 50 birds. You need to register by 1 October 2024.

  11. Updated the forms and guidance. Added a link to new online service for voluntary registration.

  12. Removed coronavirus (COVID-19) references relating to applications.

  13. Updated the forms with a new office address.

  14. Added coronavirus statement on sending application by email.

  15. Disease alerts section updated

  16. Documents updated with email address

  17. Document IRA81 and IRA81(Welsh) updated

  18. Documents updated

  19. Added translation

  20. First published.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Register as a keeper of 50 or more poultry

Ref: IRA81

PDF, 247 KB, 6 pages

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Register as a keeper of 50 or more other captive birds

Ref: IRA90

PDF, 283 KB, 6 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email contentteam@defra.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guidance is for keepers of 50 or more poultry or other captive birds.

There’s different guidance to register as a keeper of less than 50 poultry or other captive birds in England and Wales.

You must register within one month of keeping poultry or other captive birds at any premises in England or Wales.

You’re breaking the law if you do not register.

If you’ve already registered, you do not need to register again.

Keeper of 50 or more poultry

You’ll need this information to complete the form:

  • your contact details
  • details of the person or company that owns or rents your site
  • your site’s location and county parish holding (CPH) number - (find out how to get a permanent CPH number in England and Wales)
  • details of the birds you keep and how you farm them (species, number you usually keep, what you keep them for, your farming system)
  • how many birds of each species you usually keep each month (your stocking arrangements)
  • a list of other livestock you keep on the site

Keeper of 50 or more other captive birds 

You’ll need this information to complete the form: 

  • your contact details 
  • details of the person or company that owns or rents your site
  • your site’s location  
  • details of the birds you keep (species, number you usually keep, what you keep them for) 
  • how many birds of each species you usually keep each month (your stocking arrangements)

Get help

If you need help completing registration forms, contact the Customer Registration Team:

After you have registered  

You must confirm your details and the details of the birds you keep to APHA every 12 months.

If your details or the details of birds you keep have changed, you must tell APHA within 30 days. This includes when you:

  • change your contact details
  • no longer keep or own birds
  • change the species of birds your keep
  • change your main purpose for keeping birds
  • change the number of birds you usually keep by 20% or more (unless this is because of normal seasonal stocking changes)

You can update your kept bird record online or:

Disease alerts

You do not need to sign up to receive disease alerts for notifiable poultry diseases if you’ve registered as a poultry keeper.

To receive email and text alerts for other exotic notifiable diseases, register with the APHA alerts service.

Pollution prevention and control (PPC) permits

If your premises can hold more than 40,000 birds, you may need to apply for a PPC permit. Read guidance from:

Sign up for emails or print this page

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