$7K spent to trap 67 chickens to curb fowl Hawaii problem

HONOLULU — Honolulu has spent $7,000 catching 67 feral chickens in recent months.

Feral chickens rampant across the island of Oahu is also a statewide problem. A state proposal to address the issue didn’t advance in the Legislature this year, but the City and County of Honolulu initiated its own pilot program, Hawaii News Now reported.

At a city council meeting earlier this week, officials said the Customer Service Department spent $104 per chicken trapped at five locations over the last two months.

That amount was less than half of the $220 the city expected to spend. Vandalized, damaged and stolen traps add to the cost, officials said.

Department Director Kimberly Hashiro said they want to get that down to $75 per chicken. She said officials are getting quotes from other vendors.

The city has also launched a social media campaign to discourage feeding the wild chickens.

Waimalu resident Angel Jackson said the chickens in her neighborhood squawk and crow at all hours.

Her neighbor Zedrick Oda said he doesn’t mind them because the wild chickens remind him of the Big Island, where he’s from.