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).
Documents
Details
There’s a different service to register as a keeper of less than 50 poultry or other captive birds.
In this guide, poultry and other captive birds includes:
- chickens
- turkeys
- aviary birds
- birds of prey
- cassowaries
- ducks
- emus
- geese
- guinea fowls
- kiwis
- ostriches
- partridges
- pheasants
- pigeons
- psittacines (for example parrots, budgies and cockatiels)
- quails
- rheas
You’re a bird keeper if you’re in charge of the day-to-day care of birds, including any you keep as pets.
Compulsory registration – 50 or more birds
You must register using the compulsory registration form within one month of keeping 50 or more birds on your premises. You’re breaking the law if you do not register.
The law applies if you keep:
- 50 or more birds captive for any period of time
- flocks made up of different species, such as chickens, ducks or geese
- birds for the consumption of meat and eggs, restocking of game birds, other commercial purposes or breeding for any of these 3 purposes
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, Scotland 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)
- details of any businesses you supply with your poultry
- a list of other livestock you keep on the site
Where to send your application
Send your application by email to customer.registration@apha.gov.uk or send it by post to:
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
Cardiff Customer Service Centre
Cromlin West
Cardiff Edge Business Park
Longwood Drive
Whitchurch
Cardiff
CF14 7YU
Alternatively, you can call the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on 03000 200 301 and apply over the phone.
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 Great Britain poultry 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
A Welsh translation of the forms and guidance is also available.
Updates to this page
Last updated 8 August 2024 + show all updates
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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.