Bird Flu in the UK Right Now

In most cases, no. No national housing order is in force anywhere in Great Britain right now. You only have to keep your chickens indoors if your premises is inside a disease control zone, and the only one at the moment is around the H5N5 outbreak in Ness, Isle of Lewis (confirmed 2 October 2026).

Approach: I read the APHA/Defra bird flu prevention guidance on GOV.UK in the regulatory datasets. That guidance doesn't say what is in force today, so I checked the current GOV.UK (England) and Scottish Government outbreak pages for that.

Where things stand

• England: The latest-situation page (updated 3 October 2026) reports that housing measures have been lifted. No prevention zone or housing order is in place. The disease control zones guidance (updated 4 June 2026) says the prevention zone has been lifted. Since April 2026, being in a prevention zone has not meant you have to house your birds unless you are in a protection zone or a captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone.
• Scotland: Scottish Ministers revoked the Scotland-wide prevention zone at noon on 4 June 2026. The Scottish outbreak page (updated 9 October 2026) mentions no housing requirement in force. Restrictions apply around the Isle of Lewis premises, and if any part of your premises falls inside a zone, they apply to the whole premises. That page points to APHA's interactive map for where the zones are, and it doesn't spell out the housing rules inside them.
• Wales and Northern Ireland: I found no housing order announced on the official sites I searched. As of 3 October there were no confirmed cases in either this season.

What you must still do if your birds are outside Even with no housing order, the APHA guidance says keepers with birds outdoors must ^[1]:

• keep them in fenced or netted outdoor areas
• stop them reaching standing water (netting over it is one way)
• keep food and water in covered, enclosed areas that wild birds and rodents can't get into
• regularly clean and disinfect hard surfaces with a Defra-approved disinfectant
• check the area regularly and remove wild bird faeces, feathers and carcasses
• use wild bird deterrents such as scarecrows

The same guidance also says:

• You must register as a keeper within one month of keeping poultry, even if you have fewer than 50 birds.
• Ducks and geese should be kept apart from chickens, because they don't always show signs of bird flu.

Wild bird risk is currently medium, so the rules could change quickly if a prevention zone or housing order is declared this autumn. I can check Wales or Northern Ireland in more detail, or look at the zone rules around the Isle of Lewis case, if that would help.

Sources:

• GOV.UK – Bird flu: latest situation in England
• GOV.UK – Bird flu: rules in disease control zones in England
• gov.scot – Avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks

Don't touch the bird. In England, Scotland and Wales, report it to Defra using the online "report dead wild birds" service on GOV.UK or by calling 03459 33 55 77. In Northern Ireland, use DAERA's Dead Wild Bird Online Reporting Tool.

Approach: The APHA bird flu guidance in the regulatory datasets sends people to GOV.UK's dedicated reporting service but doesn't include its details. I opened that page, the GOV.UK disposal guidance and DAERA's advice page to fill them in.

England, Scotland and Wales

• Online: use the "Start now" service at gov.uk/guidance/report-dead-wild-birds. The page says it takes about 5 minutes. It asks where the bird is, what type of bird it is, how many there are, and your contact details.
• Phone: 03459 33 55 77.
• APHA guidance on spotting and reporting bird flu, and on lab testing of carcases, points to this same service for wild birds ^[2][3].
• What happens next: the bird may be collected and tested for bird flu or another cause of death. Not every reported bird is collected.

Northern Ireland

• Report through the DAERA Dead Wild Bird Online Reporting Tool at daera-ni.gov.uk/report-dead-wild-bird.
• DAERA lists the birds to report as ducks, geese, swans, gulls, waders and birds of prey.
• Don't pick up or touch dead or visibly sick birds, and avoid contact with bird droppings.

If the death looks suspicious, report it somewhere else ^[3]

• Suspected wildlife crime: report it to the police.
• Suspected pesticide or rodenticide poisoning: call the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme on 0800 321 600 (free).

If nobody collects the bird (GOV.UK disposal guidance)

• Public land: contact your local council.
• Private land: the landowner or land manager is responsible for removing it.
• Small numbers at home:
  • Wear disposable gloves, or pick the bird up through a plastic bag.
  • Tie it in the bag, then double-bag it with the gloves inside.
  • Put it in your household waste bin, or bury it at least 60 cm deep without the bag.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.

Your own birds are different. If you suspect bird flu in your own poultry or other captive birds, that is a notifiable disease and you must report it to APHA straight away. Call 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, call your local APHA Field Services Office ^[2]. Not reporting it is against the law.

Sources:

• GOV.UK – Report dead wild birds
• GOV.UK – Removing and disposing of dead wild birds
• DAERA – Wild birds and advice for the public
• DAERA – New way to report dead wild birds launched