The Chickens of Kauai

Apparently it all started back with the Polynesians that came to the island.

(I'm basing it on stuff I found on the web.)

Because of the lack of natural predators, the chickens have proliferated over the years.  Now there are chickens that inhabit practically every square foot of Kauai.  We've personally witnessed them on most of the beaches we've visited, so I wouldn't be the least surprised if they inhabited the mountains too.  I can see it now:  Chickens and mountain goats...

No matter where we've been there are chickens.  The other day we were at Costco and there were chickens milling around.  Walmart?  Yep, chickens.  They are everywhere.  We stopped at a beach parking lot the other day.  We were only there for a couple minutes and took a few pictures.  When I turned to go there were chickens milling around the car.

Perhaps chickens are the Kauai version of the pigeon?

We've figured out the answer to the eternal question:  Why did the chicken cross the road?  A lot of of people think it's just a hypothetical question that's posed with the sole intention of sparking a spirited debate and discussion.  We found the real answer the other day when we saw a hen running across the road going gangbusters, followed closely by an amorous rooster flapping his wings.

There are a lot of interesting things going on around here at Sue's mom's house in the chicken category.  The first thing I have to mention is the level of collectible chickens that have taken over her house.  There are chickens everywhere--Both decorative and functional.  My first impression when I saw them all here (which was after I had seen that they are walking everywhere on the island) was that she had started collecting them after she moved here several years ago.  I was wrong.  She started collecting them in the 70's or so back when she lived on the mainland.  When you see them all here it just seems natural to assume that they would have started their accumulation since arrival on Kauai.  Here are a couple of the unusual poultry posings:

It's funny when you watch the antics of these guys that wander around the outside of the house.  There are several spoiled chickens that we routinely see parked in the branches of a tree outside the dining room (the house is slightly elevated).  This morning I was sitting here and at least three times witnessed one of them casually walking on by the open, screened door.  They would pause for a second and look over, then resume their leisurely stroll along the deck.

The chickens of Kauai are both colorful and interesting to watch.  You just have to be able to deal with the fact that the roosters don't know (or care) what time you want to wake up in the morning.