Keeping hens · National rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in Ecuador?

Registration: conditions apply, for the keepers covered below. What we found on bird flu, welfare and the keeping rule follows, including what we couldn't establish.

Read from 4 official sources40 passages quotedChecked October 29, 2026

At a glance

Registering your flock

Conditions apply

National keeping rule

Rule with conditions

Bird-flu housing orders

Status needs rechecking

Welfare rules

Rule identified

A sourced reading of national law in Ecuador, not legal advice. Local ordinances and zoning, HOA rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local code before you get hens.

Keeping your flock

These findings cover the national scope stated below. They do not determine whether chickens are allowed at a particular home. City zoning, property restrictions and other local rules are outside this research.

Registering as a poultry keeper

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: Ecuador (mainland)

Applies to: Anyone keeping, rearing, producing or selling birds and eggs on poultry premises in mainland Ecuador, including backyard birds; self-consumption premises of 1 to 100 birds register without the certificate, commercial backyard premises of 101 to 1000 birds need both.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Family farmers register as such with the Ministry of Agriculture instead of Agrocalidad, but still need the certificate for their category.
  • The 2017 law exempts family farmers producing for own consumption or the family economy from registering with Agrocalidad.

What the checked sources say

  • Register with Agrocalidad (free, online).
  • Self-consumption premises (1 to 100 birds): registration yes, zoosanitary operating certificate (CZPM-F) no.
  • Commercial backyard premises (101 to 1000 birds): registration and CZPM-F.
  • Move products and by-products of avian origin only with Agrocalidad's movement certificate (CZPM-M).
  • Keepers declaring self-consumption or commercial backyard premises may declare only one premises.

Thresholds

  • Registration from 1 bird; the zoosanitary operating certificate from 101 birds (Table 1).

Authority: Agencia de Regulación y Control Fito y Zoosanitario (Agrocalidad)

Fee: Not established from the sources checked.

The official wording

Bird-flu housing orders

Current status needs rechecking

Check the agency's own page (not a status page)

Orders can change between checks. A missed check or an expired order does not establish that no order applies.

Housing-order finding as checked on 2026-11-08

The scope and conditions below are a dated record, not confirmation of today's position.

No rule identified in this research

This does not establish that no authority can order poultry to be housed or confined.

Uses housing orders in this scope: Not established from the sources checked.

Jurisdiction: Ecuador

Applies to: Agrocalidad's power to declare quarantine and adopt provisional emergency measures, and the national agrarian authority's power to declare an animal-health emergency at Agrocalidad's request.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No standing national order to house backyard birds was identified; this does not establish that none exists.

What the checked sources say

  • Agrocalidad may declare quarantine when diseases posing an animal-health risk are detected.
  • Agrocalidad may adopt provisional emergency measures when a disease threatening the country is detected.
  • The national agrarian authority declares an animal-health emergency at Agrocalidad's request when officially controlled diseases put animals at risk in an area.
  • Poultry producers must notify Agrocalidad immediately of signs compatible with officially controlled diseases.
  • Current status is not shown here; check Agrocalidad's animal-health pages.
Checked
Recheck due

Historical evidence, as checked

These quotations record what was checked on the dates shown. They do not confirm an order's current status.

  • i) Declarar cuarentena cuando se detecten una o varias enfermedades que representen un riesgo zoosanitario;

    LOSA, Art. 30(i) · Checked

  • La Agencia podrá adoptar medidas provisionales de emergencia, no necesariamente basadas en análisis de riesgo, ante la detección de una enfermedad que represente una amenaza para el país

    LOSA, Art. 34 · Checked

  • La Autoridad Agraria Nacional, previa solicitud de la Agencia, cuando esta detecte en una zona la presencia de enfermedades de control oficial que pongan en situación de riesgo zoosanitario una o varias especies de animales terrestres, realizará la declaratoria de emergencia zoosanitaria,

    LOSA, Art. 32 · Checked

  • Notificar inmediatamente a la Agencia la presencia de signos o síntomas en las aves compatibles con enfermedades de control oficial y/o de importancia económica a fin de evitar un brote.

    Res. 0286 instructivo, 7.2(f) · Checked

  • Resolución 021 Instructivo para la Vacunación Emergente Contra IAAP en el Ecuador

    Agrocalidad, Dirección de Control Zoosanitario page, 'Influenza Aviar' list · Checked

Small-flock welfare minimums

Rule identified for the scope below

Jurisdiction: Ecuador

Applies to: The keeper or owner of an animal, and owners of establishments dealing with animals, under the Code's chapter on responsible management of urban fauna, which the Code defines to include domestic animals.

What the checked sources say

  • Provide food, water and shelter suited to the species, treatment free of aggression and mistreatment, veterinary care, and respect for the species' natural behaviour.
  • Practices across the production chain of animals for consumption must respect national and international animal welfare parameters.
  • Read from the Code's 2017 text (in force twelve months after publication); later reforms were not checked.

The official wording

  • La tenencia de animales conlleva la responsabilidad de velar por su bienestar, y su manejo deberá promover una relación armoniosa con los seres humanos.

    COA, Art. 139, second paragraph · Checked

  • Artículo 145.- De las obligaciones y responsabilidades en relación con los animales. El tenedor o dueño de un animal,

    COA, Art. 145 (opening words) · Checked

  • así como los propietarios de establecimientos que tratan con animales, según su especie, deberán satisfacer las siguientes necesidades básicas: 1. Alimentación, agua y refugio, de acuerdo a los requerimientos de cada especie; 2. Un trato libre de agresiones y maltrato;

    COA, Art. 145, items 1-2 · Checked

  • 3. Atención veterinaria; y 4. Respetar las pautas propias del comportamiento natural del animal, según su especie.

    COA, Art. 145, items 3-4 · Checked

  • 3. Consumo: son todos los animales que son empleados para el consumo humano o animal;

    COA, Art. 142, item 3 · Checked

  • En toda la cadena de producción de los animales destinados al consumo humano o animal se deberán implementar prácticas y procedimientos que respeten los parámetros y protocolos nacionales e internacionales de bienestar animal.

    COA, Art. 151, first paragraph · Checked

  • DISPOSICIÓN FINAL ÚNICA.- El Código Orgánico del Ambiente entrará en vigencia luego de transcurridos doce meses, contados a partir de su publicación en el Registro Oficial.

    COA, Disposición Final Única · Checked

  • CAPÍTULO I MANEJO RESPONSABLE DE LA FAUNA URBANA

    COA, Título VII, Capítulo I heading · Checked

  • La fauna urbana está compuesta por los animales domésticos, los animales que tienen como hábitat espacios públicos y áreas verdes, y los animales que constituyen un riesgo por el contagio de enfermedades en el perímetro cantonal.

    COA, Art. 140 · Checked

National rules on keeping poultry

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: Ecuador

Applies to: Poultry premises in mainland Ecuador under Agrocalidad's 2024 instructivo, including the authorisation to install new premises; municipal rules on animal welfare in keeping and rearing.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Municipal ordinances on keeping chickens were not researched; municipal and metropolitan governments regulate animal welfare in keeping and rearing.

What the checked sources say

  • Register the poultry premises with Agrocalidad and, from 101 birds, obtain the zoosanitary operating certificate; family farmers follow a separate route (see keeper registration).
  • Move products and by-products of avian origin only with Agrocalidad's movement certificate.
  • Municipal and metropolitan governments may regulate animal welfare in keeping, rearing, marketing, reproduction, transport and euthanasia.
  • Installing a new poultry farm or hatchery requires Agrocalidad's installation authorisation and compliance with its isolation and biosecurity rules; new commercial poultry premises must keep their sheds at least 3 kilometres in a straight line from population centres. Premises installed before 2021 are exempt from the isolation rules. Whether a small backyard flock needs this authorisation was not established.

The official wording

  • Las personas naturales o jurídicas que se dediquen a la tenencia, cría producción y/o comercialización de aves y huevos en predios avícolas y plantas de incubación artificial, deben registrarse ante la Agencia y obtener el CZPM-F.

    Res. 0286 instructivo, 8.1 (Obligatoriedad) · Checked

  • CANTIDAD DE AVES 1 a 100 aves REGISTRO SI CZPM-F NO 101 a 1000 aves SI SI

    Agrocalidad Resolution 0286 instructivo, 8.6, Table 1, first two rows (page 11) · Checked

  • i) Movilizar los productos y subproductos de origen aviar, únicamente a través del Certificado Zoosanitario de Producción y Movilidad – Movilización (CZPM-M),

    Res. 0286 instructivo, 7.2(i) · Checked

  • La fauna urbana está compuesta por los animales domésticos, los animales que tienen como hábitat espacios públicos y áreas verdes, y los animales que constituyen un riesgo por el contagio de enfermedades en el perímetro cantonal.

    COA, Art. 140 · Checked

  • Los Gobiernos Autónomos Descentralizados Municipales o Metropolitanos contarán con las atribuciones de planificación, regulación, control, gestión y coordinación con los entes rectores competentes

    COA, Art. 144, first paragraph · Checked

  • 1. Regular el bienestar animal en la tenencia, crianza, comercialización, reproducción, transporte y eutanasia animal;

    COA, Art. 144, item 1 · Checked

  • Las personas naturales o jurídicas que tengan el interés de instalar una nueva granja o planta de incubación de aves deben cumplir con los diferentes aislamientos, medidas de bioseguridad y obtener la respectiva autorización para la instalación otorgada por la Agencia, conforme lo establecido en el presente instructivo.

    Res. 0286 instructivo, section 13 · Checked

  • Los nuevos predios avícolas comerciales de cualquier finalidad productiva, deben instalar sus galpones a una distancia mínima de 3 kilómetros en línea recta de los centros poblados,

    Res. 0286 instructivo, 13.1.1 · Checked

  • Las personas naturales o jurídicas que tengan el interés o se dediquen a la crianza y/o producción de aves y huevos, tienen que contar obligatoriamente con la autorización para instalar un nuevo predio avícola acudiendo a la oficina más cercana de la Agencia.

    Res. 0286 instructivo, 13.2 · Checked

  • Los predios avícolas instalados hasta antes del 2021 están exentos de cumplir con los diferentes aislamientos descritos en el instructivo.

    Res. 0286, Art. 2 · Checked

Selling eggs in Ecuador? →License, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: License: not stated

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Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in Ecuador?
Registration: conditions apply. The finding covers: Anyone keeping, rearing, producing or selling birds and eggs on poultry premises in mainland Ecuador, including backyard birds; self-consumption premises of 1 to 100 birds register without the certificate, commercial backyard premises of 101 to 1000 birds need both. Registration from 1 bird; the zoosanitary operating certificate from 101 birds (Table 1). Outside this finding's scope: Family farmers register as such with the Ministry of Agriculture instead of Agrocalidad, but still need the certificate for their category. The 2017 law exempts family farmers producing for own consumption or the family economy from registering with Agrocalidad. Authority: Agencia de Regulación y Control Fito y Zoosanitario (Agrocalidad).
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Ecuador?
The national sources we read set the limits shown under “National rules on keeping poultry” on this page, and don't settle the rest. Check your local rules before you get hens.
Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in Ecuador?
Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. This page links the agency's own page to check; it is not a status page.

Allowed where you live? Then keep the records.

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