Good morning from Pen-chan and me. The clouds are making funny shapes today.
Meet Salaryman
Salaryman is the Japanese word for an office worker. The head markings used to be clear, but now, for some reason, it’s a hairstyle parted right down the middle. Add that slightly tired face, like someone who works far too much overtime. Hence: Salaryman. No objections accepted!
Salaryman is one of the twenty-something Easter Eggers I bought, so you’ll hear “this one is an Easter Egger” about twenty more times. Salaryman really looks out for friends: when I do a health check on another chicken and it makes even a little fuss, Salaryman runs over and kicks my hand away, as if to say “Let go!”
New arrivals and a one-time wing clip
We have five newcomers — fluffy, beautiful hens! They came through a friend of a friend of a friend: there were complaints about too many chickens around a home, so they were tamed, gathered up and brought here. They lived up in the mountains where nobody goes, so they carry no disease and are in great health. For now, I’ll clip their flight feathers so they can’t fly off in a panic, then let them join the flock.
I cut about ten feathers, up to where the pattern changes. They can still fly, just not well. The biggest benefit is that if they panic, they won’t hit their heads. It doesn’t hurt at all. New feathers come in a few times a year, and by then the birds have settled in, so one clip is enough. Our rooster Star came over looking worried.
Holding a wild chicken
A local method: grip the wings, and the chicken can’t walk, so you can move it safely. Supporting the chest is better, but one-handed, dangling for about five seconds is OK. Some still twist around to bite, so if it’s really risky, hold the legs and turn the bird upside down; it loses track of which way is up and stays still.
Left lying around, clipped feathers attract cats and mongooses, so I bury them; they’re full of nutrients and become fertilizer.
Why chickens come to us
Hawaii has many wild chickens. They’ve multiplied over the years, people complain, and the government has culled them again and again for years. During COVID, people were home more; some fed the chickens, others complained about the crowing. Nothing has been solved.
People who love their chickens don’t want them to become targets, so they search for a safe place, and many end up with us. I give these cherished chickens as safe a home as I can.
Thank you for watching Chicken Paradise. See you next time!