Ever since Polynesians arrived in the islands with red junglefowl (circa 1200 AD), Hawaii has lived with wild chickens.
It’s getting a little old.
Feral chickens are everywhere — backyards, supermarket parking lots, under tables at outdoor cafes, along the road, in the bushes. It’s amusing until they start digging up your landscaping, fouling the sidewalks and waking you up at 3 a.m. with their infernal crowing.
Over the last few years, the Legislature has hatched numerous schemes to address the problem. Proposals have included heavy fines for feeding feral chickens; requiring the state Department of Health (DOH) to buy traps and rent them to residents; giving the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) money to eradicate chickens in state parks.
The latest plan resurrects another idea that has been suggested before: Using a contraceptive bait called OvoControl. The product interferes with the hatchability of bird eggs and is used in Hawaii to control the pigeon population.
But Senate Bill 2195 is more ambitious. It envisions a five-year pilot program to significantly reduce the number of feral chickens statewide. It would be run by DOH along with the state Department of Agriculture. The bill passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee this week.
The use of OvoControl has some advantages. It’s generally more humane and effective than, say, trapping chickens, shooting them or chasing them with a baseball bat. However, since the bait can affect birds generally, care must be taken to prevent exposure to endangered Hawaiian bird species, such as nene goose, coots, moorhens and ducks, that may forage in the same areas.
So some government oversight is essential. But that responsibility should fall where it has traditionally regarding such nuisances — with DLNR, the agriculture department and the counties.
Presumably DOH has enough to do, what with leaking fuel at Red Hill and the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding feral chickens to its to-do list seems impractical.
It’s also worth reconsidering a five-year plan with annual reports to the Legislature. Surely a shorter, less elaborate — and less expensive — pilot project would be as effective. OvoControl has been in use for a long time, and comes recommended by the Hawaiian Humane Society and other animal welfare groups.
It’s unlikely that any available measures will get rid of all those feral chickens. But if they can be reduced effectively in areas where they are causing the most trouble, that would be something to crow about.
