General Advice for Bird Owners

These questions and answers provide general advice. More specific advice can be found by following the links at the side of the page.

All keepers of birds will wish to be vigilant about the health of their birds.  They should also now start to plan ahead how they would isolate their birds from wild birds in an emergency and consider the housing guidance available from the link at the bottom of the page or available through their local Divisional Veterinary Office.

Local private veterinary practitioners should also be able to advise on appropriate measures. In addition people who work with poultry should follow the advice from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland on the control measures to prevent infection.

All keepers of birds (except keepers of pet birds kept in the owners home) are required to register with DARD. If you have not already done so, please contact the DARD Helpline on 028 90 524999 or your local DVO for a registration form, or it can be downloaded from the link at the bottom of the page.

We are not requiring the housing or separation of flocks from wild birds at this time. However, all bird keepers should feed and water their birds under cover in order to minimise the risk of contact with wild birds and anyone keeping birds outdoors must have a clear plan for housing or separating their birds in the event of an outbreak. However DARD will continue to monitor the disease situation and bird owners must be prepared to house their birds at short notice. A housing requirement would include all poultry and captive birds – this includes ducks, geese, captive wildfowl, raptors and game birds. The requirement is the same whether they are commercial or hobby birds.

Yes – if there is an outbreak of avian influenza, all keepers must be ready to house their birds.

You may have to consider culling the rest.

No. Compensation is only payable under the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 as amended for birds that are compulsorily slaughtered for avian influenza disease control purposes.

HPAI can be spread through faecal dropping from infected birds so a very good way to protect your birds is to remove the risk of them coming into contact with your birds. The easiest way to do this is to keep them indoors. At the very least you should protect their feed and water. Always use treated or mains water.

As we do not have Avian Influenza, excluding the public from this land is not necessary. Poultry keepers do not need to restrict access to land where their flocks roam.

Stored water and open lakes can be contaminated with wild bird faecal droppings.

We recommend 25mm net as this will keep out small birds, however you should refer to commercial suppliers of wild bird proof netting who will be in a position to advise you further.

Planning permission is not always required, but you should contact your local planning office for specific advice.

Poultry keepers are advised to be particularly vigilant for the signs of any disease and report any concerns to their local Divisional Veterinary Office. Signs of disease may include increased mortality, falling egg production and signs of respiratory problems.

They should implement biosecurity measures and maintain a high standard of biosecurity. Advice is available from the link below.

For further Information please contact DARD Helpline on 028 90 524999 or your local Divisional Veterinary Office (DVO)