......"Got Chickens?"

[Fuzzytop]

Can anyone shed some light on the "chicken/rooster" issue on Kauai? The last time I was there, a few years ago, the all night cackling of these critters kept us awake at two different resort locations. I had heard that they were roaming free since the hurricane blasted the island many years ago, and they had never been rounded up. Personally, it seems that the noisy disturbances they create are a deterrent to visitors who aren't use to roosters in the middle of the night or early morning.

I'd be much more apt to visit Kauai if they're "back on the farms".

Anyone else have an opinion or an update?

 

[DaveNV]

My understanding is that the farms no longer exist, and the chickens are considered feral. And as feral chickens, they're protected wildlife under state law. So they *can't* be "rounded up."

Dave

 

[aliikai2]

We go to Kauai

most years, and while there are lots of Kauai Eagles, they have never bothered us.

In fact we enjoy watching and feeding them.

I guess you could always get some ear-plugs if they bother you as they aren't going away anytime soon.

The original settlers the native Hawaiians brought these birds as a food source to all the island, Kauai is the only island that never received the Mongoose, that is why the are so abundant on the Garden Island.

fwiw, Greg

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The original settlers the native Hawaiians brought these birds as a food source to all the island, Kauai is the only island that never received the Mongoose, that is why the are so abundant on the Garden Island.

fwiw, Greg

Yep - there were wild chickens Kauai'i before Iniki, though Iniki may have increased the number. And the absence of mongoose on Kauai'i is the reason why Kauai'i has the chickens and roosters.

But there's more than chickens roosting here. Kauai'i has far more bird life than any of the other islands. That's because mongoose have devastated the bird populations on all of the other islands. Mongoose don't eat only chicken eggs; they eat all bird eggs.

We go Kauai'i almost every year. I don't think it would be Kauai'i without the chickens.

 

[Kauai Kid]

We try to put a dent in the population by eatin chicken salad sandwiches in Kauai.

Sterling

 

[DeniseM]

I have seen chickens on Kauai plenty of times, but have never been bothered by them at night and I am a light sleeper, so I think it depends on where you stay. At the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beach Boy and at the Lawai'i Beach Resort we didn't see or hear any chickens. So - maybe some others can chime in about where they did or did not hear chickens. I am going to guess that there are more of them inland than at the beach resorts???

 

[Tiger]

I'm with the chicken loving crowd. The brightly colored ones are called Moa, I believe, and are said to be descended from birds brought by the early Hawaiians.

I hear them often at Lawai Beach Resort and play with and feed them at Kokee, and Kee beach.

Kauai really would'nt be the same without them.

 

[Fuzzytop]

Thanks to all of you for your inputs! After getting your comments, and the rationale for the chickens being there, we've decided to book a couple of weeks and get a pair of $2 ear plugs. :zzz:

Thanks again!

 

[Elli]

I have seen chickens on Kauai plenty of times, but have never been bothered by them at night and I am a light sleeper, so I think it depends on where you stay. At the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beach Boy and at the Lawai'i Beach Resort we didn't see or hear any chickens. So - maybe some others can chime in about where they did or did not hear chickens. I am going to guess that there are more of them inland than at the beach resorts???

Denise, I am surprised you didn't see any chickens at the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beach Boy. We were there last year in Oct. and saw quite a few on the lawn and yes, the roosters are noisy early in the morning, but it didn't bother us.

 

[andypoole]

My wife has a real dislike of roosters (or cockerels as we call them in the UK), so it was with some trepidation that we set out for Kauai a couple of years ago. We'd traded in before finding out about them, which says a lot about our research!

However, she got used to them to the extent that we bought a couple of weeks EOY at Marriott Waiohai and we go back next month. Let's hope her tolerance still holds up!

 

[catwgirl]

I think roosters are part of the charm of Kauai ...

 

[slabeaume]

My understanding is that the farms no longer exist, and the chickens are considered feral. And as feral chickens, they're protected wildlife under state law. So they *can't* be "rounded up."

Dave

We were told by the resort staff a couple years ago that the chickens are no longer protected and, therefore, a lot of the residents catch them and eat them now.

 

[tombo]

Since they aren't protected anymore I might can save some money at the grocery store in February. Throw some bread on the ground, fire up the grill, catch a chicken that came to eat the bread, and we have B'bque yard bird for supper. Yummm Yummm.

Where can I find their fresh eggs for breakfast?

 

[seatrout]

I asked the local about them. They "excape" after the last huricaine. Was told that they at not good for eating and very gaime. Anyway, they run prety fast so one would need some weapon to catch them.

 

[squeegeeman]

We have 12 hens and 1 rooster at home, so the rooster thing isn't such a big deal. And the nice thing about Kauai is that there are less centipedes. As far as chickens around condos go, I think that Poipu Point must have hulihuli cookouts since I didn't see any of them around there for the last two weeks of December. But I saw plenty of them up in Princeville during the first 2 weeks of January. There was one especially loud one right outside at the Cliffs. For cheap entertainment, you can try to pelt them with ice cubes. They don't know what hit them, and the evidence melts.

 

[dive-in]

One "recipie" we heard on our last trip to Kauai was:

Put dressed wild chicken in pot
Cover chicken with water
Put rock in pot
Add favorite spices
Boil

When rock is tender, remove chicken and eat.