Keeping hens · National rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in Guatemala?

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 6 official sources24 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

Not established

A sourced reading of national law in Guatemala, 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: Guatemala

Applies to: Individuals and legal persons who intend to operate, or who operate, poultry production units: areas, sites or establishments for producing, fattening, rearing replacement birds or laying.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Whether a household flock counts as a poultry production unit was not established. PROSA's register also covers family poultry flocks (Acuerdo Ministerial 1528-2003, Art. 23), but no registration duty naming family flocks was found in the texts read.

What the checked sources say

  • Persons interested in operating poultry production units must register with PROSA, MAGA's national poultry health programme.
  • Operating a poultry production unit without a current PROSA registration is prohibited; registration lasts five years and is renewable.
  • A responsible professional must be appointed for units with 25,000 or more broiler, replacement or laying birds.
  • Poultry keepers, including family poultry keepers, must follow PROSA's technical recommendations on vaccine handling.

Thresholds

  • No flock-size threshold for PROSA registration was found; a responsible professional is required from 25,000 broiler, replacement or laying birds.

Authority: Programa Nacional de Sanidad Avícola (PROSA), Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA)

Fee: Not established from the sources checked.

The official wording

  • Quedan obligadas a registrarse en el Programa Nacional de Sanidad Avícola, denominado en adelante PROSA, de la Unidad de Normas y Regulaciones del Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación las personas individuales y jurídicas, nacionales o extranjeras, interesadas en operar unidades de producción avícola.

    AM 131-2005, Art. 1 · Checked

  • UNIDAD DE PRODUCCION AVICOLA: Área, sitio, lugar o establecimiento en el cual se realizan actividades de: Producción, engorde, de reemplazo y postura de aves, así como para la incubación y producción de huevos libre de patógenos. Incluye productos y subproductos.

    AM 131-2005, Art. 3 (definitions) · Checked

  • Todas las personas individuales o jurídicas interesadas en operar y las que operen unidades de producción avícola deben ser registradas y presentar al PROSA la siguiente documentación:

    AM 131-2005, Art. 4, lead-in · Checked

  • Operar unidades de producción avícola sin contar con registro vigente ante el PROSA

    AM 131-2005, Art. 16(3) · Checked

  • La vigencia del registro, será de cinco años, renobable por periodos iguales a solicitud del interesado

    AM 131-2005, Art. 10 · Checked

  • Nombramiento del profesional responsable por parte del propietario o representante legal de la unidad de producción avícola, cuando la misma cuente con un numero igual o mayor de veinticinco mil (25,000.00) aves de engorde, reemplazo o de postura

    AM 131-2005, Art. 4(7) · Checked

  • FECHA ENTRADA EN VIGENCIA: 20 / MAYO / 05

    AM 131-2005, MAGA compilation header · Checked

  • Se deroga totalmente el Acuerdo Ministerial No. 615-2004

    AM 131-2005, Art. 21 · Checked

  • EL PROSA, deberá de llevar un registro actualizado tanto de las unidades de producción avícola tecnificada como de las parvadas de avicultura familiar.

    AM 1528-2003, Art. 23 · Checked

  • Los avicultores, incluidos los de avicultura familiar están obligados a cumplir las recomendaciones técnicas establecidas por el PROSA sobre el manejo de la vacuna en enfermedades aviares específicas.

    AM 1528-2003, Art. 19 · Checked

Bird-flu housing orders

Current status needs rechecking

An official current-status link has not been established.

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 2026-10-29

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: Guatemala

Applies to: MAGA's powers to declare animal health emergencies and order quarantine and other measures, including PROSA quarantine measures on farms and family poultry flocks.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No standing national order to house backyard birds was identified from the titles in MAGA's list of ministerial agreements, checked on 2026-10-29. Avian influenza agreements in that list were not opened, and the list does not show which agreements are still in force, so this does not establish that none exists.

What the checked sources say

  • MAGA may order treatment, quarantine, slaughter or destruction of animals that in its judgement pose a risk to animal or human health.
  • MAGA declares an animal health emergency by ministerial agreement, and under a declaration may declare and delimit areas as affected or quarantined.
  • PROSA may apply quarantine measures on farms or family poultry flocks when an outbreak of avian disease appears, and may implement emergency sanitary measures.
  • Everyone must report to MAGA any case they know of a listed disease, which includes highly pathogenic avian influenza.
  • MAGA publishes its ministerial agreements, including past avian influenza emergency agreements, in its list of ministerial agreements (https://apps.maga.gob.gt/normativas/Normativas?categoriaId=4). That list does not show which agreements are still in force, so it is not a status page.
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.

  • El MAGA podrá ordenar el tratamiento, cuarentena, sacrificio o destrucción de los animales, así como productos o subproductos no procesados de origen animal, que a su juicio representen riesgo para la salud animal o salud humana.

    Decreto 36-98, Art. 21 · Checked

  • DECLARATORIA DE ESTADO DE EMERGENCIA DE SANIDAD ANIMAL Y VEGETAL. La declaratoria a través de la cuál, el MAGA, confirma la presencia de plagas o enfermedades que requieren acciones de emergencia,

    Decreto 36-98, Art. 8(g) · Checked

  • El MAGA mediante Acuerdo Ministerial promulgará el estado de emergencia, cuando exista amenaza de una plaga o enfermedad de importancia cuarentenaria y/o económica que afecte la producción agrícola o pecuaria a nivel nacional.

    AG 745-99, Art. 46 · Checked

  • Declaración y delimitación de lugares, áreas o regiones como afectadas o cuarentenadas.

    AG 745-99, Art. 54(c) · Checked

  • El propietario, representante legal, encargado o responsable está obligado a acatar las disposiciones técnicas dadas por el personal autorizado por el MAGA.

    AG 745-99, Art. 51 · Checked

  • La Unidad de Normas y Regulaciones, a través del PROSA podrá aplicar medidas cuarentenarias en las granjas o parvadas de avicultura familiar al aparecimiento de un brote o foco de enfermedad aviar cuando lo considere pertinente.

    AM 1528-2003, Art. 10 · Checked

  • El PROSA queda facultada para implementar las medidas sanitarias emergentes para el control y erradicación de brotes de enfermedades aviares endémicas y exóticas.

    AM 1528-2003, Art. 28 · Checked

  • establecer la obligatoriedad que tiene toda persona y/o Médico Veterinario de reportar a la Unidad de Normas y Regulaciones o a cualquiera de las Coordinaciones Departamentales del Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, todo caso del que tenga conocimiento

    AM 495-2006, Art. 1 · Checked

  • Influenza aviar altamente patógena

    AM 495-2006, Art. 3(F) · Checked

  • Se Declara el Estado de Emergencia en Sanidad Animal por la Presencia de Influenza Aviar de Baja Patogenicidad

    MAGA normativas, Acuerdos Ministeriales list, page 7: summary shown for Acuerdo Ministerial No. 1344-2000 · Checked

Small-flock welfare minimums

Not established from the sources checked

Scope not established from the sources checked.

National rules on keeping poultry

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: Guatemala

Applies to: Poultry production units under MAGA's registration rules.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No national rule on keeping a few chickens at home was found in the texts read; municipal rules were not researched.

What the checked sources say

  • National rules regulate poultry production units: PROSA registration, and minimum distances between new units.
  • New incubation, replacement, broiler and layer units must be at least three kilometres apart.

The official wording

  • Quedan obligadas a registrarse en el Programa Nacional de Sanidad Avícola, denominado en adelante PROSA, de la Unidad de Normas y Regulaciones del Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación las personas individuales y jurídicas, nacionales o extranjeras, interesadas en operar unidades de producción avícola.

    AM 131-2005, Art. 1 · Checked

  • UNIDAD DE PRODUCCION AVICOLA: Área, sitio, lugar o establecimiento en el cual se realizan actividades de: Producción, engorde, de reemplazo y postura de aves, así como para la incubación y producción de huevos libre de patógenos. Incluye productos y subproductos.

    AM 131-2005, Art. 3 (definitions) · Checked

  • Las distancias entre las unidades de producción avícola, que inicien operaciones, deben cumplir con las siguientes condiciones:

    AM 131-2005, Art. 7, lead-in · Checked

  • La ubicación entre cada una de las unidades de incubación, reemplazo, engorde y postura de aves, deben estar comprendidas en un radio no menor de tres kilómetros.

    AM 131-2005, Art. 7(1) · Checked

Selling eggs in Guatemala? →License, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: License or permit

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Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in Guatemala?
Registration: conditions apply. The finding covers: Individuals and legal persons who intend to operate, or who operate, poultry production units: areas, sites or establishments for producing, fattening, rearing replacement birds or laying. No flock-size threshold for PROSA registration was found; a responsible professional is required from 25,000 broiler, replacement or laying birds. Outside this finding's scope: Whether a household flock counts as a poultry production unit was not established. PROSA's register also covers family poultry flocks (Acuerdo Ministerial 1528-2003, Art. 23), but no registration duty naming family flocks was found in the texts read. Authority: Programa Nacional de Sanidad Avícola (PROSA), Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA).
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Guatemala?
The national sources we read don't settle it, and we haven't identified who decides. Check your local rules before you get hens.
Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in Guatemala?
Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. We haven't confirmed an official current-status page for it.

Allowed where you live? Then keep the records.

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