It’s very dusty today. And I have some sad news: bird flu has come to the state of Hawaii for the first time. It’s the type called HPAI — highly pathogenic avian influenza, the strong kind. In Japan it’s the kind that shows up in the news when whole flocks have to be culled. It’s frightening.
Doing what we can
A lot of people here don’t really know what to do yet. So, for my own sake and for everyone else’s, I leaned on people in Japan, on people I know at the store, and on the internet, and spent time researching and talking it over.
This is what I decided. It’s here now, and that can’t be changed. I don’t know whether anything I do will make a difference — but doing nothing doesn’t sit right with me. So for now I’ve brought the chickens into the rooms, and I’m expanding the room space as I go, asking the chickens to put up with it for a while. We also got posters explaining what bird flu is, and I hope they help get the word out.
Life indoors
The rooms were never built for keeping everyone shut inside, so with everybody in, it’s tight. I’m putting in extra grass, food and snacks so they don’t get bored. Surprisingly, lots of them are happily digging in the dirt and rolling around. Nobody seems angry with me, which is a relief.
This room is for the old-timers, my personal favorites and the friendliest birds. There are about 60 chickens in here. As long as no one comes in, they all sleep quietly — but the moment I stepped in, it was total panic. One bird moved another, that one startled a third, and it set off a chain reaction. I’m not sure they understand this is an emergency, but they’ll be getting treats later.
Thank you for watching, and please take care. See you in the next episode.