Bird flu (avian influenza): how to prevent it and stop it spreading
Biosecurity and hygiene standards to keep birds safe from bird flu (avian influenza).
Applies to England
England is in an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ). By law you must follow these strict biosecurity and hygiene rules to stop bird flu spreading.
You may also have to keep your birds housed. This applies if you’re in a protection zone or captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone. Check what zone you’re in using the bird flu disease zone map and follow the rules for that zone.
You must follow this guidance to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading.
The main causes of bird flu in poultry and other captive birds are contact with:
- wild birds, in particular waterfowl such as geese, ducks, swans and gulls
- faeces from infected birds
- dirty footwear, clothing, vehicles and equipment
You can speak to your vet about the specific risks to your birds.
Read guidance on records you must keep, movement restrictions and other rules in the AIPZ, or if you’re in a bird flu control zone.
Register as a keeper of birds
You must register within one month of keeping poultry or other captive birds at any premises. You’re breaking the law if you don’t register.
Register as a keeper of:
You must also update your kept bird record annually, or sooner if the size of your flock increases (or decreases) by 20% or more, or for other major changes.
Registering means the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) can contact you during a bird flu outbreak.
If you keep ‘schedule 4’ birds of prey, you also need to register each bird. Find out about registering captive birds of prey.
Prevent contact with wild birds
Wild birds can spread bird flu. Your birds can get infected if they mix with wild birds (direct contact).
They can also get infected through exposure to:
- wild bird faeces, feathers or carcasses (indirect contact)
- food, water, housing or equipment, if it is contaminated by direct or indirect contact
Make your bird areas unattractive to wild birds. You can use:
- bird deterrents such as scarecrows (for responsible use check the National Farmers’ Union code of practice)
- spike strips to stop perching
- foils or streamers (narrow strips of material used for decoration)
Check outside areas around your birds’ housing daily. Remove wild bird faeces, feathers and carcasses.
Keep food, water and bedding in covered, enclosed areas, so wild birds and rodents cannot access them.
If bedding (such as straw and shavings) is stored outside it must be covered. Only take clean bedding inside the bird house – disinfect the wrapping before taking it into the birds’ accommodation. Do not use any bedding with damaged wrapping for your birds.
Regularly change bird feeding times. Wild birds can learn when it is feeding time and gather in the area.
Maintain bird houses and sheds
To maintain your birds’ housing:
- prevent wild birds nesting or roosting on it
- repair any holes or gaps to stop wild birds and rodents getting in
- fix leaks and blocked drains or downpipes to stop contaminated water getting in
- remove moss from the roof – it attracts wild birds
Follow guidance to manage your birds’ housing and welfare.
If your birds are not housed
You must:
- keep birds in fenced or netted outdoor areas – follow guidance about netting outdoor areas
- prevent your birds accessing standing water – you can use netting to cover it (this does not apply in zoos)
- keep food and water in covered, enclosed areas that wild birds and rodents cannot access
- clean and disinfect all hard surfaces and concrete walkways, paths and similar surfaces regularly using a Defra-approved disinfectant
- check your birds’ area regularly to remove contamination such as wild bird faeces, feathers or carcasses
- use wild bird deterrents, such as scarecrows
Keep groups of birds separate
Keep ducks and geese in a separate pen or building away from other birds.
Ducks and geese do not always show signs of bird flu. This means they can quickly pass it on to other birds.
Do not let poultry or captive birds from neighbouring premises near your birds.
Fence off or cover standing water and ponds
If you have open water on your premises fence it off and where possible cover it with netting to discourage wild birds. Water can carry disease.
Clean and disinfect housing
Keep your premises and birds’ housing clean at all times.
You must use a Defra-approved disinfectant.
Clean and disinfect regularly:
- hard surfaces
- equipment, such as wheelbarrows, crates, containers, buckets and plastic egg trays
- vehicles (to stop disease spreading between premises)
When using disinfectant you must:
- use the approved dilution rate listed for diseases of poultry, following the manufacturer’s instructions
- follow the manufacturer’s recommended dilution rate
- apply pollution prevention measures to stop excessive disinfectant runoff
Do not apply disinfectants close to drinking water supplies such as reservoirs, or surface water such as streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands.
Use clean clothing and footwear, and foot dips
You must wear clean clothing and footwear when you enter bird housing.
If you have more than one bird house you should have dedicated clothing or overalls for each house.
To enter the bird house in clean footwear, you must either:
- use a Defra-approved disinfectant foot dip before you enter and when you step out of the bird housing
- keep the foot dip under cover and at least ankle deep, so it’s not diluted by rainwater, contaminated by organic matter (such as leaves), or exposed to UV light
- use dedicated footwear which stays inside the bird housing, leaving your general footwear outside
Do not walk on ground outside the bird housing in your disinfected or dedicated footwear.
Control rodents and pests
Rats and mice can carry diseases on their feet and fur. Effective pest control will reduce the chances of diseases infecting your birds.
Control rats or mice with an approved rodenticide, while making sure it does not risk the health of your birds. Read advice for rodent control and the safe use of rodenticide.
Wild animals such as foxes and dogs, cats and other livestock can also carry diseases on their feet and fur. Keep them away from your birds’ housing and food supplies.
Limit and control access to your birds
The risk of disease can increase when more people have access to your birds. Limit access to your birds to essential visitors only.
Keep a record of all the people that visit your birds’ housing. Record:
- names
- contact details
- dates
- times
- purpose of the visit
You can use records to contact people if you get a confirmed case of bird flu or Newcastle disease.
Zoos do not need to record individual visitors to the zoo, but must record all the keepers that have contact with the birds. Record:
- names
- contact details
- dates
Protecting the welfare of your birds
You are responsible for the welfare of your birds.
When they need to be housed, make sure they are calm and comfortable.
Read about how to manage your birds’ housing and welfare.
Adding new birds to your flock
If you buy new birds, always check their health before you bring them to your property.
When adding new birds to your flock, you must:
- keep them separate from the rest of your flock by
- put them in housing that has been cleaned and disinfected
- use separate equipment for each group of birds
- change into clean coveralls or overalls and footwear when you go between new birds and your existing flock
If possible, have different people to handle the new birds - if this is not possible, handle the new birds last.
Talk to your vet about this and agree a monitoring programme.
Rules for bird shows and gatherings
Check the rules for bird gatherings.
You must meet all the conditions of the bird gathering licence, including notifying APHA at least 7 days before the event.
Keep records of bird movements, deaths and eggs
Keep daily records of:
- any birds that die
- movements of birds and eggs, on and off your premises, with dates, numbers and contact details of the origin or destination premises
- your birds’ food and water consumption
- how many eggs your birds produce
Damaged eggs, dead birds and manure
Damaged eggs, dead birds and manure can carry disease. Dispose of them quickly and appropriately. Follow guidance for:
If your premises has over 500 birds
There are extra requirements you need to follow to keep your birds and premises safe from disease.
You must separate your premises into 3 different parts:
- Poultry or captive birds (live birds): in the Lion Code this area is known as the ‘specific’ area, and in Red Tractor this is a ‘bird biosecure area’.
- Private use: in the Lion Code this area is known as the ‘general’ area, and in Red Tractor this is a ‘general biosecure area’.
- Restricted access (biosecure barrier).
Rules for the live bird part
You must:
- restrict access to essential authorised personnel only
- make sure all bird keepers change their footwear before entering and leaving
- use different coveralls or overalls for each bird area or house
- only allow essential equipment and vehicles to enter
- clean and disinfect the outside of any vehicles including strawchoppers, forklifts and pallet trolleys (particularly wheels and wheel arches) when entering and leaving
- clean and disinfect equipment that enters or leaves
- keep records of any vehicles and personnel that enter and leave
You must clean and disinfect housing and equipment at the end of a production cycle and when new birds are introduced.
Rules for the private part
You must:
- restrict access to essential personnel only
- carry out full biosecurity practices when entering and leaving
- have a clear boundary between the private part and the live bird part
- hold waste and fallen stock in biosecure facilities in this part, separate from the live bird and the restricted access biosecure part
- clean and disinfect the exterior of any vehicles (particularly wheels and wheel arches) when entering and leaving
Egg producers should:
- separate eggs which are cracked or leaking (second quality eggs) from clean, whole eggs (first quality eggs)
- store first and second quality eggs in separate areas
- only use a dry cloth for cleaning
- when handling eggs use disposable gloves or thoroughly clean hands
- clean and disinfect equipment including plastic egg trays before use
- do not reuse cardboard containers for second quality eggs as they do not sanitise well
- keep records of egg production
Rules for the restricted access (biosecure barrier) part
You must:
- restrict access to essential personnel and vehicles only
- not feed wild game birds within 500m of this part of the premises
Bird flu vaccinations
Poultry and most captive birds cannot be vaccinated against bird flu. Vaccination is not a routine measure to control the disease.
Zoo birds in England can be vaccinated, but you must get authorisation from APHA.
Read the bird flu vaccination guidance and apply to have your zoo birds vaccinated.
Protecting people from bird flu
Bird flu mainly affects birds. It can on very rare occasions affect humans and other mammals. The UK Health Security Agency advise that the current risk to the UK human population is very low.
The Food Standards Agency advise that it is safe to eat properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs.
For more advice go to the:
Follow Health and Safety Executive advice to protect workers from bird flu.
Download biosecurity checklist and posters
If you’re in an AIPZ, complete the self-assessment checklist to make sure you’re meeting the minimum standards to protect your birds against bird flu.
Representatives from APHA or local authorities may ask for it if you are in an AIPZ and they inspect your premises.
You can download posters about biosecurity requirements for bird keepers to help keep your birds safe.
Landowners, local authorities and other organisations can download and print bird flu posters to display on site when there is a risk of bird flu or if bird has been detected in the area.
Updates to this page
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Restructured and improved the guidance throughout following feedback from bird keepers.
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Being in an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) no longer means you have to keep your birds housed. You can now let your birds outside again unless you’re in a protection zone or captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone. You must continue to follow the mandatory biosecurity measures.
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Added information about the avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ).
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Updated information about registering as a keeper of poultry or other captive birds.
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Updated the text around registering birds and added new link to online service for registering less that 50 birds.
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Updated to reflect that the avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) has been lifted.
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Mandatory housing measures in England and Wales have been lifted. Housing measures are still in place in some bird flu control zones.
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Added a link to the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone self-assessment checklist.
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First published.