[Roll Roll]

18. You WILL be encouraging vermin.
19. If you are in council or rented accommodation you may not be allowed to keep them.
                                      Next.

[Aunt Sally]

2o. Finding a chicken friendly vet is like looking for hens teeth 

[andreadon]

21. hens do not actually have teeth. 

[Aunt Sally]

22. and most vets know zip about chickens.

[chickenlady]

23: chickens can get nasty habits that are difficult to cure if left.
24: you can not just SET THEM FREE when you have had enough of them 
25: they need things to amuse them just as much as they amuse us!  :happy:

[Sassy]

26.  A chicken is for life not just for GW!!

[dave_p]

wow!  lots of replies!  just to set your mind at ease, yes i am a gardener (for my sins). I'm not a chicken keeper right now - for some of reasons listed, but i was once.  of course the chickens don't mind whether a celebrity owns them or not but as i'm sure you all know, there have been a recent increase in interest in keeping chickens (this forum is testament to that!)  I'm not sure that Gardeners' World is all that celebrity obsessed really, we haven't introduced a 'star in a reasonably priced shed' yet!

of course doing my own research is a big part of what i do but getting thoughts / ideas from enthusiasic chicken keepers like you lot is a pretty valid path to travel down.

thanks for all the comments but if anyone does have any thoughts on my original questions i'd be more than grateful to receive them.  

i have been quite suprised at how sketchy the information on chicken keeping is.  defra are the only people who seem to keep reliable data but they are more interested in commercial producers.  

the best guess i have been able to find for the number of people in britain keeping chickens is 300,000.  what do you all think?

you've also all got me thinking - i would have assumed that you would love to see chickens on Gardeners' World but the posts on here indicate otherwise??  BTW I don't think we will be getting chickens in the Gardeners' World garden.

[Aunt Sally]

Hi Again Dave,

As you are a keen gardener (and ex- chicken keeper) perhaps you'd like to contribute to the other areas of our forum like our very active Grow Your Own forum.   Or are you just here for your research ?

[dave_p]

Thanks Sally, I might well do that.  But there's only so mich time in the day and I already do contribute to other forums from time to time - Gardenweb, Garden Organic members forums mostly...

BTW did I say I a KEEN gardener?  Sometime I'm keen -  sometimes more despondant like on tuesday afternoon when a hailstorm made a right mess of my newly transplanted lettuce, cauli, and bean seedlings :-(

[Aunt Sally]

So are you saying you don't have time to contribute to our forum ?

Only enough time to get us to contribute to you ! 

Forums are a two way street you know

[dave_p]

now i feel obliged to respond or i seem selfish and uncooperative! still waiting for an answer to my original post.... 

[Aunt Sally]

now i feel obliged to respond or i seem selfish and uncooperative! still waiting for an answer to my original post.... 

Do you mean respond by contributing to some of our forum discussions ?

[raeburg]

The only official census of chickens would be Defra's  register, but seeing as it's voluntary under a certain amount there's no way of knowing.  I'm the only person with chickens in my  street.  There are 2 plots on our lotties with chooks on.  1 person I work with has some hens, serveral plots on the other allotment sites in our town have chooks.  It's a difficult one to give a figure too.  Sorry I can't give you a more straight forward answer.

[poultrygeist]

I doubt whether there's any way of knowing. It would good to hear your opinion on a few of the threads Dave P.

Rob

[leebou]

ok celeb chicken keepers here we go....

Chook norris
Chook shields
Lenny Hen ry