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Poultry

Maintaining high standards for animal health and welfare on the farm is essential for efficient production, establishing consumer confidence and managing risk of disease to both humans and animals.

This page gives you information about the health and welfare of poultry, including Avian influenza (bird flu). The guidance covers meat and breeding chickens, laying hens, turkeys, ducks and geese. There is also information on ratites (emu, ostrich and rhea). Information on eggs and poultry is available in the food and drinks section.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council, which reviews farm animal welfare and advises government on the legislative requirements, recommends the following Five Freedoms for farm livestock:

  • freedom from hunger and thirst
  • freedom from discomfort
  • freedom from pain, injury or disease
  • freedom to express normal behaviour
  • freedom from fear and distress

While these freedoms provide general guidelines to avoid suffering and other harms, there are areas where specific guidance is available:

  • on-farm welfare
  • welfare at transport
  • welfare at market
  • welfare at slaughter

On-farm welfare

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales detail minimum standards under which you must keep farm animals.

The regulations require that anyone attending animals must be familiar with and have access to appropriate welfare codes. The codes are specific to each species of animal and aim to establish the highest standards of husbandry. They cover general requirements for stockmanship, health, feeding, breeding accommodation and management.

Animal Health carries out welfare inspections which can be planned visits, spot checks or following up allegations of poor welfare.

Notice can be served to help enforce regulations and, where necessary, Defra can initiate prosecutions for welfare offences.

Laying hens

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 has additional rules for laying hens, covering accommodation, food and drink, health and hygiene.

If you keep free range laying hens, see also Feather pecking and cannibalism in free range laying hens.

Other poultry

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 has additional rules for other poultry – see schedule three – concerning litter and resting area requirements.

Other Defra publications you may find useful include:

Ratites (emu, ostrich and rhea)

Ratite welfare is covered by The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000. Council of Europe Recommendations concerning ratites are not part of UK legislation, but offer you guidance on best practice.

Welfare in transport

Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport details rules on transporting poultry. This covers fitness to travel, journey times, rest periods, feeding and watering intervals, training and competence assessment and vehicle standards.

The Regulation’s general welfare provision states that no person shall transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering to them.

If you transport poultry over a distance of 65km in connection with an economic activity then you will require an Animal Transport Certificate, Transporter Authorisation and Certificate of Competence.

The guide to the general requirements of the Regulation can be found here. A poultry specific guidance booklet has also been produced.

Welfare at markets

Achieving a high standard of welfare at market requires:

  • well-maintained, welfare-friendly equipment
  • sympathetic handling by competent people

Guidance on welfare at a market and advice on issues specific to poultry:

  • birds must be able to stand upright in cages and not be tied by the neck, wings or legs, except briefly by the legs during weighing.
  • if slaughter must take place at market, it must be done by licensed slaughterers in premises set aside for this.
  • poultry intended for slaughter must have room to stand upright, turn around and stretch their wings and have sufficient food and water.

Welfare at slaughter

There are specific rules covering the handling, stunning, and slaughter or killing of animals. In particular

  • slaughtermen must hold a Registered Licence
  • in every slaughterhouse a competent person must have authority to safeguard welfare
  • only permitted methods may be used to stun or kill animals

For guidelines of specific relevance to poultry - see: Guidance on the welfare of poultry at slaughter (PDF 450 KB)

Health

Defra has an A-Z disease index and a table of notifiable diseases. You must report any suspicions of a notifiable disease to your Animal Health Divisional Office.

Major notifiable diseases which affect poultry include:

  • Avian influenza (bird flu): full details of any latest outbreak, how to recognise the symptoms and precautions to take can be seen on the Avian influenza pages on the Defra website.
    If you need to report dead birds, or need advice on avian flu, you should contact the Defra Helpline (08459 33 55 77) and choose the Avian Influenza option (open from 8:30am to 8:00pm). More information on finding dead birds is also available on the Defra website
  • Newcastle disease: Affected birds may show a range of signs from mild illness to severe disease with dullness, loss of appetite, coughing, sneezing, diarrhoea and nervous signs. If you  suspect any case of this this you must immediately notify your Animal Health Divisional Office

Details on other bird diseases can be found under the veterinary surveillance programme. This section includes information on zoonoses – diseases which can be transmitted to humans – and you can download the Code of practice for the control of Salmonella

To ensure information can be communicated effectively if there is an outbreak of bird flu, or any other infectious disease, Defra has created the Great Britain Poultry Register. You must register if you own or are responsible for a poultry premises with 50 or more birds. This requirement also applies even if the premises is only stocked with 50 or more birds for part of the year. At present, premises with fewer than 50 birds are not required to register, but we encourage keepers to do so voluntarily.

Useful links

Defra

External

Further information

Defra Helpline – 08459 33 55 77  or email helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk

 

Page last modified: 3 November 2009
Page published: 1 July 2006