Why Are There So Many Chickens In Hawaii?(The Answer May Surprise You!)

If you have ever been to Hawaii, then there is definitely one usual thing you will notice when walking around the islands – the chickens. 

In Hawaii, chickens and roosters will walk around freely and wander into all kinds of weird places such as parking lots, high streets, and down main roads.

But, these chickens are not just lost pets – they are actual feral chickens who live out in the wild! 

But what’s the story behind these feral chickens? 

Here, we are going to be taking a look at the story behind the feral chicken problem in Hawaii and how it all came to be.

So, check out the below information to find out everything you need to know about Hawaii and chickens! 

The History Of Hawaii’s Chickens

There are a lot of birds on Hawaii but the huge number of wild chickens you can find carelessly roaming all areas of the towns and cities leaves a lot of guests and visitors scratching their heads.

How did they get there in the first place? 

Well, first it’s important to know that there are actually two types of chicken that live freely in Hawaii – the Red Jungle Fowl, and their feral offspring with domestic chickens. 

It is believed that the Red Jungle Fowl, a bird that lived predominantly in tropical areas of southeast Asia, first arrived in Hawaii and that domesticated chickens are descended from them. 

A lot of people originally thought that domesticated chickens were first brought to Hawaii by Captain James Cook in 1778 as he and his crew are the first recorded Europeans to land in Hawaii.

However, chicken bones have been found in Kauai that pre-date Cook’s 1778 landing.

So it is now believed that Red Jungle Fowls first arrived in the islands when brought by Polynesians around 800 years ago.

Today’s domesticated chickens are said to have descended from these birds as they are their closest biological relative.  

So, there have always been fowls living on Hawaii but the Red Jungle Fowl have been around in Hawaii for centuries, preferring to live away from humans and are relatively difficult to find.

These are not the birds you see confidently walking around the towns and roads of Hawaii – they are the Red Jungle Fowl’s hybrid offspring. 

The feral chicken problem is relatively new. 

Local lore states that two hurricanes are the huge amounts of feral chickens in Hawaii. In 1982, Hurricane Iwa struck the islands and caused millions in damages.

Among the damages were hundreds of chicken coops, which resulted in hundreds of domestic chickens accidentally being released and escaping into the jungle. 

There, these domesticated chickens mated with the Red Jungle Fowls, producing feral hybrid offspring. 

Then, in 1992, the same thing happened again when Hurricane Iniki destroyed more coops, released more domestic chickens which bred with more Red Jungle Fowl  to produce even more feral offspring. 

There is no natural predator for these feral chickens and thus, they have bred at an alarming rate.

They are also super confident around humans and will quite happily wander into populated areas while their Jungle Fowl ancestors would prefer to hide in the jungle. 

Over the years, they have become a huge pest problem for towns and cities all over the Hawaiian islands.  

Differences Between Feral Chickens And Fowls

There are a number of physical differences between feral chickens and their wild, Red Jungle Fowl ancestors. 

The most obvious difference is the coloring.

Feral chickens have inherited a paler coloring from their domesticated chicken ancestors, and thus they have noticeable white feathers on their wings and dotted throughout their plumage.

Red Jungle Fowls, on the other hand, are much darker toned. 

Feral chickens are also much smaller than their domesticated chicken ancestors and are more similar in body and shape to the Red Jungle Fowl. 

But the difference in behavior is what makes feral chickens so easy to spot.

They are confident around humans and are not afraid to go on the attack when they feel threatened.

Feral chickens will also crow like roosters, and happily wander into gardens to dig up seeds and ruin any kind of crops or vegetables that the locals are trying to grow. 

Is Anything Being Done About Those Chickens? 

Although many Hawaiian locals are indifferent about the number of feral chickens on their streets, more and more complaints have been raised concerning the chickens. 

Finally, in 2022, city boards in Hawaii decided to take action but have been met with little success.

In May 2022, the Honolulu City Council announced that they had spent a whopping $7,000 on traps to catch the chickens but only successfully captured 67 individual feral chickens (that’s a cost of $104 per chicken).

The council has blamed sabotaged and stolen traps for their lack of success, which suggests that more locals are willing for the chickens to stay. 

However, it is still illegal to kill wild chickens in Hawaii. There is a state law in place protecting the feral chickens, making it illegal to kill or harm them in any way.

But as more and more noise is made (and not just by the feral chickens) it seems that the councils of Hawaii will have to step up their game and find a new solution to this chicken infestation! 

Hope is on the horizon as a bill in Oahu will hopefully introduce contraceptive bait to help limit the number of breeding feral chickens, thus reducing their population over the years.

But, the bill first needs to be passed and for many Hawaiian residents, it’s going to be a long wait until its effects are felt at home. 

Conclusion

The feral chicken infestation in Hawaii is a relatively new problem that occurred after hurricanes destroyed domestic chicken coops, releasing the animals into the wild where they bred with native Red Jungle Fowls, creating a new hybrid species of loud and confident pests. 

Until now, there has been no way to control the population of wild chickens in Hawaii.

It’s against the law to harm them, and attempts to capture and move the chickens have ended in failure. 

However, state senators and councilors are not about to give up!