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By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
At Laie Community Park, William Malufau, 13, holds a couple
of roosters that he captured today. The Laie Community Association
hopes to greatly reduce the number of wild chickens in the town.

Yee haw! Laie’s
wild-chicken
roundup begins

Feral fowl have been digging up
gardens, laying eggs on porches,
and ... crossing roads

By Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin

The wild-chicken problem that has been eating away at Laie will soon be eaten.

The community's roundup to collect the nuisance chickens ran afoul last weekend because they had nowhere to take them. An arrangement to give the chickens to an animal welfare group called the Wildlife Connection fell through.

But since then a half-dozen people around the isle offered to take the chickens, raise them and eat them.

Today's roundup was to begin this morning shortly after residents were rousted by what they hoped were the final cock-a-doodle-doos.

"The older generations know how to take care of chickens. Our generation thinks it's easier to go to the supermarket and buy the frozen Tysons," said Gerry Nihipali, member of the Laie Community Association Board in charge of the roundup.

People from all corners of the isle have called Nihipali to find out how Laie will silence the chickens.

"It is an islandwide problem; everybody has chicken problems. They're watching us to see how we get rid of them," Nihipali said.

Community volunteers plan to lure, surround, ambush, trap and box about 200 chickens from the area. They will distribute them to the takers and give the rest to the Humane Society and the Gunstock Ranch outside of Kahuku.

The wild chickens ruffled residents' feathers by digging up flower gardens, laying eggs on front porches -- and crossing the road.

"You'll see a hen with her chicks stopping traffic to cross the road. It's cute at first, but after a while it's a nuisance," Nihipali said.

The residents' dogs and cats who are supposed to chase them have instead joined them. Pets and chickens can be seen scratching the dirt in peaceful coexistence.

Although wild, these chickens are fine to eat, Nihipali has been told, and maybe even healthier than store-bought.

"With all the running around they do," she said, "these chickens are very healthy."