Welcome to Chicken Paradise Hawaii! Today our farmer is feeding everyone breakfast, and it’s quite an operation.
Breakfast in the big coop
First, one scoop of feed gets scattered on the ground. The birds have to spread out, or the work doesn’t move at all. Meanwhile a bucket of mash is mixed up; the young birds prefer mash, so they’re already eyeing the bucket. Nuts hops up onto our farmer’s back and refuses to get down, no matter what. Nuts loves being sprayed with water, too. Chico and Hiyo-chan come down to join in.
Yesterday’s squash was hard, but the chickens have eaten most of it. When I hand out food it turns into chaos, yet when our farmer does it, everyone lines up nicely. Why is that? Purin has a slight cold but is doing better.
The little ones’ room
The little ones are well-mannered and usually wait for the dish to be filled. Not Spice today, though. Others skip breakfast for a dust bath. There are three food trays: one by the entrance, one in the middle, and the biggest on the table. The pecking order here is clearly set, so meals go smoothly.
Kombu, the hen who used to live in a parking lot, recently fought a tough hen and won. Right now she’s feeling broody (wanting to sit on eggs) and is guarding an egg that isn’t even hers. She bit our farmer’s finger. Fujiko, who can’t see from one eye, rarely comes down, but she does when our farmer is around. Her eye looks like it may be seeing a little again, and the eyeball isn’t damaged. What a relief.
Grey has turned into a big baby and loves being petted. He had his nails trimmed today. He’s stopped fighting, he’s fluffy and beautiful, and his comb has healed. He lost the sight in one eye, but he’s doing fine.
Cockroach party
Karaage’s daughters are eating right among the grown-ups and fitting in well. Flipping over a pool turned up bugs, a surprise feast. One young bird, who learned from master Balloon at an earlier cockroach party, is a natural; maybe we should call him Cockroach Hunter. Iruka is running away from everyone; he dropped in rank after a recent fight.
In the big birds’ room, the youngsters still stay near their old cage even with the door open. Peach turns out to be gentle with the others. Plumeria eats beside Honey Lemon Tea, who looks like Hachimitsu but a shade lighter. She’s the mother of Dal and Othello.
Here’s hoping for another peaceful day. Thanks for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii!