New law for keeping chickens and poultry but website crashes as people take rules too far

You will need to register any birds
-Credit: (Image: RSPCA / SWNS.COM)


An online system for registering any owned poultry crashed amid a high value of applications.

From October 1, everyone who keeps poultry of captive birds must register them by law across England and Wales. This includes birds kept as pets and it is against the law to not register.

However, due to a surge in applications, the government had to close the online service for applications. A number of these applications were by people registering roast chickens they were keeping in their fridges, but these do not need to be registered.

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During the issue the website read: "Our online service is currently unavailable due to technical issues."

Instead you will need to register via a form and email address. You can find out more details online here.

The website says: "We are experiencing an extremely high volume of applications. We currently aim to process applications within 30 days.

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"If you have already submitted an application, do not submit another. There is no penalty for registering after 1 October."

You do not need to register any psittaciformes or passeriformes, which are budgies, parrots, cockatiels and finches, if they are fully housed inside and have no access to the open air. However, if these birds are taken outside at any time, they will need to be registered.

After you register, the Animal and Plant Agency will keep you up to date on outbreaks like bird flu. The registration is aimed to prevent the spread of disease and to protect the birds.