Photo @ Daren R. Couch
I’ve always dreamed of being swept away to Hawaii. Where a pleasant breeze of tropical crosswinds, and comfortable temperatures in the 70′s F in February are the reality. Beautiful sunsets, and double rainbows grace the sky. Palm trees swaying, tropical rainforests, the spray of the surf, and of course chickens. What, chickens? Where does that fit in?
I did get my dream of visiting Hawaii. What I know for sure is I didn’t get to spend enough time on the islands, and I want to go back.
My biggest surprise was the feral chicken population. You may see them on every island, but especially on Kauai. Not that they have always been feral, but during Hurricane Iniki, which hit the islands in 1992, many of the chickens on chicken farms, or from cock fighting operations, “flew the coop”. The chicken is now a state protected bird. This means it is illegal to kill or disturb them. Hawaii should consider the chicken as the State Bird, instead of the Hawaiian Goose.
You will see roosters, chickens, and sometimes the baby chicks everywhere. I saw them nesting on the beach as well as roaming the rain forest. It still seems strange to me to not hear the sound of a tropical bird in the rain forest, but to hear “cock-a-doodle-doo.”
Globe Trottin’ Granny
Strut Mr. Turkey, that’s a fancy way to walk…..
Feral chickens huh? How funny. My mom says that the old rooster who used to chase her around the yard when she was a kid was pretty scary. I suppose a “wild” rooster would be downright dangerous. Next thing you know we’ll have “licensed wild rooster hunters”, and “Wild Rooster Wrestling” at the local fair. Watch out for those spurs!
Donna, Your so funny! Thanks for commenting. Especially because some of those roosters came from cock fighting operations!