GovWire

You should follow this guidance to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading.

If youre in a disease control zone additional rules will apply.

The main causes of bird flu in poultry and other captive birds are contact with:

• wild birds, in particular waterfowl such as geese, ducks and swans and gulls
• faeces from infected birds
• dirty footwear, clothing and vehicles and equipment

You can speak to your vet about the specific risks to your birds. They can give you advice about practical things you can do to reduce the risk of disease.

Register as a keeper of birds

You must register within one month of keeping poultry or other captive birds at any premises in England or Wales. Youre breaking the law if you dont register.

Register as a keeper of:

• less than 50 poultry or other captive birds

• 50 or more poultry or other captive birds

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.

Keep your birds away from other captive and wild birds

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, such as chickens or turkeys.

Do not let poultry or captive birds from neighbouring sites or properties near your birds.

Prevent contact with wild birds

Wild birds can spread bird flu. Your birds can get infected if they:

• mix with wild birds (direct contact)
• are exposed to wild bird faeces, feathers or carcases (indirect contact)

Your birds food, water, housing or equipment can be contaminated by direct or indirect contact.

Make your property or premises unattractive to wild birds. You can use:

• bird deterrents such as scarecrows (you can 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 and remove wild bird:

• faeces
• feathers
• carcasses

Keep food, water and bedding in enclosed areas so wild birds cannot access them.

If bedding (such as straw and shavings) are stored outside they must be covered. Unwrap the bedding before you take it inside the bird house only take clean bedding inside.

Regularly change the times you feed your birds. Wild birds can learn when poultry and other captive birds are fed 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 getting in
• fix leaks to stop contaminated water getting in
• fix 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 enclosed areas so wild birds cannot access them
• clean and disinfect all hard surfaces, concrete walkways, paths and similar surfaces regularly using a Defra-approved disinfectant
• check your birds area regularly for contamination from wild birds and remove it for example, faeces, feathers or carcasses
• discourage wild birds by using bird scarers, such as scarecrows

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 and wild birds can carry disease.

Control rodents and pests

Rats and mice can carry diseases on their feet and fur. Effective pest control will prevent diseases.

Control rats or mice with an approved rodenticide .

When using rodenticide make 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.

Clean and disinfect housing

Keep your premises and birds housing clean at all times.

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 correct volume and concentration of disinfectant, following the manufacturers instructions
• follow the manufacturers recommended dilution rate
• apply pollution prevention measures to stop excessive disinfectant runoff

Keep all areas and access routes clean

This helps to stop wild birds and animals:

• being attracted to your property or premises
• entering buildings and stores

It will also reduce the risk of vehicles becoming contaminated.

Use clean clothing and footwear, and foot dips

You must wear clean footwear and clothing when you enter bird housing.

If you have more than one bird house you must have dedicated clothing or overalls for each house.

To access bird housing in clean footwear, you must do one of the following:

• use a disinfectant foot dip before you enter and when you step out of bird housing using a Defra-approved disinfectant this should be at least ankle deep and under cover so its not diluted by rain or exposed to UV light
• use dedicated footwear which stays inside the bird housing leave your general footwear outside

Do not walk on ground outside the bird housing in your disinfected or dedicated footwear.

Limit and control access to your birds

The risk of disease can increase if lots of people have access to your birds.

Keep a record of all people that visit and leave your birds housing (names, contact details, dates, times and purpose for the visit). This does not apply to zoos.

You can use records to contact people if you get a confirmed case of bird flu or Newcastle disease.

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