The Scottish Government has ordered that all poultry and captive birds be kept indoors amid concerns over an outbreak of avian influenza.
Ministers said the “precautionary step” had been taken and hoped a prevention zone would help after an outbreak of bird flu on the continent.
The government said it had received multiple reports of the disease causing deaths among wild birds in mainland Europe.
The restrictions cover the whole of Scotland and will be in place for 30 days.
Similar measures have been put in place in England.
Bird keepers – including “hobby farmers” with a small number of hens – are legally obliged to “take all practicable steps to ensure that poultry and other captive birds kept separate from wild birds”.
Rural affairs secretary Fergus Ewing said: “We have declared a 30-day prevention zone as a precautionary measure to protect Scotland’s valuable poultry industry, particularly in the weeks before Christmas.
“It is important to stress that there has been no cases of this strain detected in the UK.
“The Scottish government and its partners continue to monitor the situation in Europe closely and stand ready to respond to any suspicion of disease in Scotland.”