How to Register Your Poultry: A Guide for Flock Owners

Whether you keep a few hens in your back garden or manage a larger smallholding, registering your poultry is an essential step toward protecting animal health and supporting national disease control efforts. It’s also a legal requirement in many cases. Here’s everything you need to know about registering your flock, and why it matters.

Why Register Your Poultry?

Registering your birds helps:

• Track and control outbreaks of diseases like avian influenza (bird flu).
• Alert you quickly if there's a threat in your area.
• Support responsible farming practices and transparency in food production.

It also ensures you receive updates, guidance, and support from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) during disease outbreaks or changes in legislation.

Who Needs to Register?

In the UK:

• It is a legal requirement to register if you keep 50 or more birds (of any species) at any one time.
• You must register even if the birds are only for personal use, such as pets, eggs for your household, or hobby breeding.
• You are encouraged (but not required) to register voluntarily if you keep fewer than 50 birds.

This applies to chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quail, pheasants, partridges, and other domesticated poultry.

What Information Will You Need?

When registering, you’ll be asked to provide:

• Your name and contact details
• The location of your birds
• The types and numbers of birds you keep
• The purpose of keeping them (e.g. pets, eggs, meat, breeding, showing)
• Housing conditions, such as indoor, outdoor, or mixed

How to Register Your Poultry

You can register your birds by completing the Poultry Register form provided by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

There are two ways to do this:

Register Online

You can register your poultry online using the government website:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/poultry-registration

This is the quickest and most convenient option. You’ll receive confirmation and updates via email.

Register by Post

If you prefer, you can download and print the Poultry Register Form (PPP1) and send it to APHA by post. The address is provided on the form.

You can download the form from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poultry-including-game-birds-registration-documents

Updating Your Registration

You must keep your information up to date. Notify APHA if:

• You increase or reduce your flock significantly
• You move or rehome your birds
• You stop keeping poultry altogether

This helps ensure that disease prevention and response efforts remain accurate and effective.

What Happens After You Register?

Once registered, your premises will be added to the Great Britain Poultry Register. This enables:

• Early alerts if an outbreak occurs nearby
• Appropriate guidance on biosecurity and movement restrictions
• Contact tracing if disease is suspected

Your data is protected and used only for animal health purposes.

Final Thoughts

Registering your poultry is quick, free, and a responsible step that benefits not just your flock, but the wider community of bird keepers and the UK’s poultry industry as a whole. Whether you have two hens or two hundred, make sure your birds are on the map.