Hello from Chicken Paradise Hawaii, with Mike-chan the cat! Blue skies again today. Our bananas are still completely green and won’t turn yellow.
The farm cats
One cat was half asleep — Ikura, who we can’t usually touch. Ikura is Mike-chan’s daughter. Mike-chan loves being patted. She also has teeth that stick out a little, like snaggle teeth, though you can’t see them right now.
And then Natsu caught us filming with the other cats. Natsu, are you angry? Don’t ignore us!
The elder hens’ club
Lately our senior ladies — Cho, Hachimitsu, Luna and friends — have taken a liking to the top of an old, half-broken coop. Every evening they gather up there to preen and relax together. Only roosters the ladies approve of may join; one they don’t like gets pecked right off. Nishiki, who we introduced in a Short, is somehow a favorite.
Another rooster, always thinking up mischief and kicking the hens, seems to have finally been made Cho’s underling. He’s allowed up there, but in front of Cho he’s a total softie.
Luna somehow climbed up high, which is unusual. She’s an Australorp, a large, heavy egg-laying breed that doesn’t really fly, so we worry she’ll hurt her legs jumping down. Be careful, Luna!
Pigeons, nest boxes and more
When our farmer carries feed to the pigeon coop, the chickens all follow along — it’s not for you! The pigeons have huge appetites and empty their dishes fast. Happy and two or three others were raised by our farmer and are tame; the rest came to us in all sorts of ways and aren’t. They come from different places but get along fine, and now and then an egg appears. Ao peeked in from outside.
The big hens’ nest boxes were designed one hen per room, which works for Echiseana and for Honey Lemon Tea, a mix with some big-breed blood. The smaller hens squeeze in two or three at a time. Marron was on watch in a nest box and grumbled when taken out for a meal break — but you have to eat! Toast was straining as if to lay, though she hasn’t laid in a long time; we hope she isn’t unwell. And when a hand reached toward Toast, Kombu pecked it hard — it’s become some kind of game.
Meet Flute
Flute appeared in our Short “from chick to three years later.” His charm point is on the right side of his comb, and the pattern on his chest is really beautiful.
Thanks for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii. See you next time!