An opportunity arose giving us a chance to visit our 50th state, Hawaiʻi, and one of the first things I saw was a hen crossing a busy thoroughfare in Waikiki with her young chick following close behind. Surprised at the sight, I took no pictures and realized that I had indeed heard a rooster crowing earlier. Mama seemed to understand her environment; when a car came sailing by, she quickly ushered her babe to the other side. No one was hurt, though it was difficult to watch.
Later, chickens appeared everywhere, on roads, in parks, on beaches, and in establishments. The locals, used to them, ignore them, and the birds, smaller than others I have seen, seem happy.
A little research revealed that the original chickens, the Red Junglefowl, accompanied the Polynesian settlers around 1200 A.D. This was followed by the establishment of plantations for sugar cane and pineapples, and the practice of raising domestic chickens. With interbreeding and hurricanes that destroyed chicken coops, the birds were liberated. The chickens have few natural predators and a tourist population that is quite willing to feed them, so I believe they will be there for years to come.
