Who else has been converted?

[Flummery]

After reading another thread 'accusing' Maureen of converting people to chicken keeping, hands up who didn't have chickens till aftert they'd joined the Grapevine?

You got me going folks! I'm one convert at least.

[pdblake]

Me Though I wouldn't say I was particularly influenced. I just up and decided to get some one day

[di]

Sort of 50/50.
Although we didn't have them before,the way we stumbled upon the Vine was searching for chook advice.
So,we'd kind of decided we were getting them anyway,but the advice on here helped to confirm we were doing the right thing.
So did the Vine convert us to Chook keeping or Chooks convert us to the Vine???
Whichever,i'm mighty pleased we've got them & despite the fact that I was hours in the blazing heat,poo picking & scraping the trodden in bits to try & rid the run of flies,still love them to bits!(and their contentment at a sparkly clean run & lots of new straw made it all worthwhile...til they dared to poo!)

[HayleyB]

Yep, accuser of Aunty Mo puts up two hands

[MaureenHall]

I'm not taking ALL the blame ............................... just a little bit of it

[RedThorn]

was thinking about it before the vine... this just tipped the scales so to speak keep converting Aunty Mo

[julesapple]

We'd Thought About Chooks....

.....but it was the helpful advice and threads on here by everyone not just Aunty Mo (so you are all to blame) that finally persuaded us to take the plunge.

Lots of people not just keeping chooks, but really getting pleasure out of their chooks, and we thought we can do that too!

We've only had only had our girls a week today, but it's hard to remember life pre-chooks now. OH is seriously contemplating two more chooks.....six being our absolute max. He sat today and was musing on making the available space bigger by removing a huge log pile and taking away the old anthracite bunker as we now have gas central heating and don't need the coal any more.

He's found space for a composter, so that we can compost the garden waste, chook poo & hemcore etc.

So, really, I can 'blame' you lot for enriching our lives and making much better use and getting huge enjoyment out of the garden!!!

Thank you all!!!

Jules

[Snadger]

One of the allotments I inherited already had a half decent run from a previous occupant who had chooks, (now vastly extended!)which I was going to use as a fruit cage originally!
Then I must admit I was influenced by this forum and it just seemed like a natural progression to get some chooks.
Originally it was just for eggs but now I've tasted allotment chicken I intend having an odd 'home grown'chicken dinner/BBQ.

Wish I'd got chooks years ago!

[bluemoon]

From childhood I've always had a dream of keeping chickens, but ff I'm honest, it was the mag which first made me realize that back garden hens were 'doable' (and that it wasn't a weird thing to want to do). But I've read it from issue 1 which was, I believe, March or April 2004 so I wasn't exactly quick off the mark as I only got my hens this year. I have to admit to being inspired by people on the vine though and this is what encouraged me to take on another allotment, this time at a site where chickens are welcomed. It still took 18 months from joining the vine to getting my first chooks, but I've always been a plodder.

[shirlthegirl43]

I had fancied having hens for ages. The vine and the BHWT 'feathered friends' helped convince Madmax it was a good idea. Thanks folks

[JILLY JACKSON]

have kept chickens on and off for many years now but maureens enthusiasm is so catching my girls are on eggs now,we all love auntie mo dont we ?.shes a breath of fresh air!Group hug for auntie mo

[Hilary B]

The last time I had chooks was in 2000. Prior to that I'd kept chooks (and the occasional duck, goose and turkey) most of the time for 25 years.

[Stacey Steve]

Must admit that all the enthusiasm for chickens got me thinking of getting some but as it's such a big commitment, I went and saw some of the other keepers on our site.

As I'm about 2 miles from the plots and it would mean at least 2 visits per day come rain or shine, I decided it would not be best for me and definitely not best for the chooks.

However I still get tempted

[Hans Mum]

absolutely the vine planted the seed in my mind, and reading all your posts about them made my realise it was doable and DD is now too old to play in the garden and there was a redundant wendy house stood unused and the rest is history and i too thought it was too much of a tie if they were kept at the allotment and i'm so glad we took the plunge

[msflocks]

yes, well, sort of!!!
I did want chickens for the last two years, but joining here put me in touch with Maureen who put me at ease by answering a lot of hideous questions i had about keeping chickens.
if that helps................