Poultry and other captive birds: registration rules and forms
How and when you must register as a bird keeper (including for any birds you keep as pets).
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
There’s a different service to register as a keeper of less than 50 poultry or other captive birds in England and Wales.
It’s a legal requirement for all bird keepers to register premises where the birds are kept by 1 October 2024, even those kept as pets. If you have already registered you do not need to register again.
You’re breaking the law if you do not register.
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
- name and address of the owner of the 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)
After you have registered
If you’ve registered but your details have changed, you’ll need to tell APHA within a month if:
- you no longer keep or own birds
- the contact information you gave changes
- the size of any of your flocks changes by 20%
- you change the species you keep
Email your changes to customer.registration@apha.gov.uk or call on 03000 200 301. Lines are open 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.
Get help
If you need help completing registration forms, contact the Customer Registration Team:
- by phone on 03000 200 301 – lines are open 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday
- by email at customer.registration@apha.gov.uk
Disease alerts
You do not need to sign up to receive disease alerts for notifiable poultry diseases if you are registered on the kept bird register.
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:
- the Environment Agency if you farm in England
- the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) if you farm in Scotland
- Natural Resources Wales if you farm in Wales
Updates to this page
Last updated 12 September 2024 + show all updates
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Updated the PDF forms and details section. Welsh translations of the forms and other information will be available soon.
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Added a link to the Scottish Government website to register your birds if in Scotland.
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Updated the phone number in Get Help.
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Added a link under the details section to the online service to register under 50 birds. You need to register by 1 October 2024.
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Updated the forms and guidance. Added a link to new online service for voluntary registration.
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Removed coronavirus (COVID-19) references relating to applications.
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Updated the forms with a new office address.
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Added coronavirus statement on sending application by email.
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Disease alerts section updated
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Documents updated with email address
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Document IRA81 and IRA81(Welsh) updated
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Documents updated
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Added translation
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First published.