Backyard and smallholder poultry keeping has expanded substantially, with welfare challenges that differ from but are no less important than those in commercial production.
Backyard and smallholder poultry keeping can provide excellent welfare — natural foraging, social complexity, outdoor access — but common failures expose welfare gaps. Inadequate housing leaves birds vulnerable to fox and other predator attack; failure to house birds at dusk causes preventable predation deaths. Avian influenza housing orders may conflict with welfare needs for outdoor access and require communication of the welfare compromise involved in compliance. Veterinary access for individual bird health problems is more difficult to arrange than for commercial operations, and individual bird mortality may be normalised rather than investigated. New keepers who acquire birds without adequate preparation frequently underestimate the commitment involved. Pre-acquisition education, community support networks, and clear biosecurity guidance are important welfare supports for this growing sector.