Another blue-sky day at Chicken Paradise Hawaii, with two of us on the farm today: one filming, one handing out food.
Lettuce time with Fifi
Fifi the goose loves lettuce. The hens came over for some too, then froze, a little scared of how big Fifi is. It’s fine, everyone can eat! Frankie is out with the flock now: after three years in a cage, Frankie has finally graduated to the outside, showing off those unusual, fabric-like feathers. Peanut Butter, Monarch, Echiseana and Okki-chan all joined the feast.
Summer on a dry farm
It’s mid-July, the height of summer in Hawaii. There are seasons here after all: the rain drops off and the days get hot, especially at our farm, in a dry part of the island. The ground gets parched, so when making mash we spill a little water on purpose. Chickens love mud, and they bathe in the damp soil. We moved some cages hoping to turn up bugs, but it’s so dry that almost nothing came out. Sorry, everyone! On hot days the chickens hold their feathers out a little to let the air through.
Around the pens
A hen named Tiffany is raising five lovely chicks, brave enough to eat from the big birds’ dish. Hachimitsu is a good mom too, and the others don’t peck at her chicks. Jack lost a fight and spent a while in a cage after the shock, but he’s back out now. Peanut sits next to Cutie and Cutie No. 2, who look almost identical.
And here’s Dyson, noticeably taller than everyone else. While I was filming him, a loud voice came up right behind me — and then Dyson found some food and trotted off to eat it all by himself.
Natsu the cat loves chicken feed. She was born at a feed store, and everyone from that family eats it. (Don’t worry, the cats get cat food too.) Our cat Ao sat watching the chicks. Our cats get a special, mysterious training and leave chicks alone, but there have been two slip-ups: Ao and Salmon have each taken a chick once. Never again since!
Meet Fifi
We think Fifi is probably a girl. Her beak has jagged edges, like a shark’s, and she works it back and forth to grind her food. When she preens your hand to make friends, it really hurts, though she’s learning to be gentler.
Her former owner said she doesn’t really bond with people, yet here she is, walking after our farmer everywhere. She’s still a baby, but already taller than a drake, with a long neck like a swan’s. The first time she went into the coop a hen attacked her, so this big goose is scared of hens, and of ducks. She has a voice like a horse, and she loves people.
Thank you for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii! Stay cool, and see you in the next episode.