Good morning from Chicken Paradise Hawaii — it’s me and Pen-chan. Today we came to the ocean together, for the first time in three years! Long time no see, right, Pen-chan? I’m already escaping reality. Look, Pen-chan: the ocean, sand, salt water! …You’re bored, huh? We peeked into the river where the fresh water meets the sea. Pen-chan loves fish. And that was our beach walk.
Chicken feet: built for digging
Here is a chicken’s foot. Pretty dinosaur-like and a little scary! Chickens use these big feet to dig up the soil. They are so powerful that they dig far more efficiently than a person with a hoe, and they dig in very precise spots, so they find bugs easily.
If you watch closely while they dig, they aren’t just moving their feet around. They put strength into their claws and dig them into the ground so it scrapes, carefully controlling every stroke. Amazing. Now and then they kick so hard the dirt hits someone in the face.
The rooster on watch
Look at the hens: they’re concentrating so hard on digging, heads down, that they don’t pay any attention to what’s around them. Instead, our leader rooster, Heart, pecks at the soil now and then but keeps watching over everything. It’s a really important job. When there are several roosters, they even work in shifts: while one is taking a dust bath or playing, another one keeps watch.
Meet Hachimitsu
Hachimitsu means “honey” — she got the name because her feathers are honey-colored. She’s a Gold Star, and she lays very pale, pinkish-brown eggs. They’re beautiful.
This breed has been developed in a strange way: they lay lots of eggs, and once they’re done laying, they can suddenly die. So after about three years of age, you never know when one might go. But our girls are three or four, about to turn four, and still very healthy, so I think she’ll be fine. Keep it up!
She’s good friends with Peanut Butter, whom I bought at the same time.
Thank you for watching Chicken Paradise! See you in the next episode.