Love this site! Thanks all for the info, tips and stories. I have been thinking about having a layer or two for a couple years. Before that I lived about a mile from an egg farm and got used to very fresh eggs. Most of our eggs in Hawaii come from the Continent and they are flatish lifeless things when you crack them open. Totally uninspiring. So I have been chasing down local eggs on sale and going back to the egg farm when possible.
I now have a garden and so my desire for a chook has ballooned. Well...you gotta know the Universe listens.
While camping, one woman in my group foolishly chased down a chick and then was distraught that the hen wouldn't take the baby back. In Hawaii we have what are called "jungle fowl" that run wild in rural areas. I have read that these fowl are descendants of the chickens the original Polynesians brought with them when they came to Hawai'i, but I suspect they are just the chicken equivalent of a mutt. They are wild birds, tend to be smallish, but they are beautiful, with all different kinds of coloring. Well, I took in the baby chick (hoping it is a hen and not a rooster!) and rigged up a brooder and getting ready to set up a coop and run. She is a contented little bird and I have enjoyed her so far. I will not get another chicken until she is older, since I'm sure she was never vaccinated and know that she may carry diseases. I'm looking forward to the rest of my chicken journey.
It's good that you are careful with disease, but it would be nice for your little one to have a friend. Single chickens can get very lonely. They are social creatures, like us. I hope it is a hen that will lay some nice eggs for you when she's old enough.
