New chicken owner in Oahu

[drumstick diva]

Would love to read continuing chapters of your experiences with her, etc.

 

[cundare]

My son and daughter-in-law are going to Oahu in June. We are friends with a local lady who lives there and she is going to take them sight-seeing- maybe hiking.

Try hiking the Aiea Loop if you want to see flocks of chickens walking around near the trailhead. In general, if you hike any of the not-super-popular-with-tourists-but-still-great hikes, you're more likely to see peacocks than chickens.

 

[cundare]

It sounds very much like she is looking for a place to create a nest and brood. Make a place for her on your property that is safe and secure. Some place out of view and on the ground in loose soil. That is what she's looking for.

Sad news. She escaped again two days ago and never came back. I thought she looked a little puffed up when she woke up in the morning, so perhaps the rooster wanted to mate with her one too many times. But I heard that a neighbor's pit bull had escaped for half an hour that same day, and the following day, we saw -- for the first time ever -- a small mongoose in the yard. So we have no idea whether she was attacked or killed after she left, or if she just decided that she'd had enough. If she's been escaping for the last few weeks to sit on eggs somewhere, perhaps one of them hatched and she's now a proud mama somewhere in the neighborhood. She has been leaving for longer & longer periods this week, and the day before she disappeared, she was gone for maybe 6 hours. Anyway, we'll probably never know. The rooster is inconsolable and we're trying to find a new hen somewhere on Oahu. But this is Hawaii. When I call or email anybody on Craig's List who has a chickens-for-sale listing, you have to jump through hoops to get them to reply.

 

[theoldchick]

 

[cundare]

Sad news. She escaped again two days ago and never came back. I thought she looked a little puffed up when she woke up in the morning, so perhaps the rooster wanted to mate with her one too many times. But I heard that a neighbor's pit bull had escaped for half an hour that same day, and the following day, we saw -- for the first time ever -- a small mongoose in the yard. So we have no idea whether she was attacked or killed after she left, or if she just decided that she'd had enough. If she's been escaping for the last few weeks to sit on eggs somewhere, perhaps one of them hatched and she's now a proud mama somewhere in the neighborhood. She has been leaving for longer & longer periods this week, and the day before she disappeared, she was gone for maybe 6 hours. Anyway, we'll probably never know. The rooster is inconsolable and we're trying to find a new hen somewhere on Oahu. But this is Hawaii. When I call or email anybody on Craig's List who has a chickens-for-sale listing, you have to jump through hoops to get them to reply.

Over the next week, she twice stopped back in the yard for an hour or two, but then took off again. Haven't seen her since. I guess some animals just don't make good pets.

But now we have new crises. We saw a mongoose in the yard for the first time last week, but not since. Great. But even worse, a mated pair of bulbuls have been attacking the rooster. They swoop down and go for his eyes whenever he comes out of the shrubs. So for the last week, he's been cowering in the plantings most of the time. We've been hitting the bulbuls with the garden hose, but at least one seems undeterred. THey're fast and sneaky. Been looking for a next, but there doesn't seem to be one. Apparently, they're battling the chicken for territorial rights. Looking into various kinds of traps, but there are so many kinds of birds here, it's gonna get complicated.

For those not familiar, bulbuls look like black cardinals (they have the same punk-rocker haircut) but are an invasive species that is a troublesome pest for agriculture. Some growers on the island report 20-30% loss of crop due to bulbul infestations. They're very aggressive and are known for attacking other birds. Their favorite food, supposedly, is papaya and mango, so our large mango tree, just starting to bear fruit, might be one reason why these nasty little creatures suddenly showed up.

Nobody told me chickens would be so much work! But our guy is worth it.

D