HONOLULU (KHON2) — They’re feathery, loud and multiplying rapidly. Now state lawmakers are trying to rein in one of the most annoying public nuisances – feral chickens. But it’s a challenge to strike a balance between public peace and humane animal control.
From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., feral chickens remain nuisance for Hawaii residents
It’s not just a morning wake-up call.
“It starts like three o’clock in the morning, you know, and ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ you’d be sleeping in it and crazy. That’s totally bazonks,” said Francis Smith, a Kapahulu resident who said the problem has only gotten worse over the years. “We try to look for help, but we don’t know where to go.”
Complaints like these are behind House Bill 2562, introduced by State Representative Ikaika Olds. The bill would classify feral chickens on public lands in larger cities as a controllable pest, ban feeding and abandonment and allow property owners to humanely manage chickens on their own lands within existing animal protection laws…