Honolulu officials are begging residents and tourists alike to stop feeding the island’s out-of-control feral chicken population as the feathered pests destroy property and create a health hazard as they leave their poop all over the place.

City and County officials say the birds have become a major nuisance across Oahu, crowing at all hours, tearing through residential areas, damaging yards and gardens and even agitating household pets.

There’s now a public education campaign, with signs posted at parks and on public transportation warning people: “Do Not Feed Feral Chicken.”

Officials have also released an animated public service announcement explaining the problem and deployed traps in an effort to capture the birds.

But those efforts are being undermined by people tampering with and vandalizing the traps, HawaiiNewsNow reported.

“While crews are actively trapping feral chickens and putting up educational signage, this is an issue the city simply cannot tackle alone,” Department of Customer Services Director Kim Hashiro said.

“We need every segment of our community – from residents to business owners – to help us by not feeding these birds and letting our pest-control teams do their jobs safely.”

The problem has frustrated Oahu residents for years, with some previously appealing to state lawmakers for help.

In 2022, Hawaii lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 2195, which would have authorized state funding to address the feral chicken problem. The measure failed to advance.

Residents who testified in support of the legislation described the damage the birds had inflicted on their homes and communities.

“As a property owner, it’s frustrating to have to battle the feral fowl that have been so destructive of our yard and gardens,” Robert Peine, of Aiea, wrote. 

“Further, their chicken poop is everywhere and is not only unhygienic, but very foul smelling and unsightly! In addition, we find ourselves having to constantly dodge the chickens roaming the street and in Waimalu, Aiea, there are times we’ve counted clusters of 12-15 chickens in the middle of the roadway.”

Maria White of Aiea, said local communities need “immediate assistance from the government to either displace these wild chickens out to the countryside (farms, etc.) or to eradicate them.”

“The wild chickens are a very serious noise nuisance, create a filthy mess everywhere and have already damaged, multiple times, our yard and garden and that of my neighbors and they need to be removed or eradicated so that we can regain our communities.” White said.

Another resident blamed the island’s illegal cockfighting industry, arguing that weak penalties allow breeders to dump unwanted birds into neighborhoods.

“Current laws have no deterrent effect, as most are misdemeanors, with insignificant fines of no more than $250,” Bonnie Gollero wrote.

“Unless cock fighting ends, ferals will always resurface, as breeders will continue to reinfest neighborhoods with their rejects.”

Cockfighting is classified as a misdemeanor in Hawaii, rather than a felony.

It remains unclear whether locals or tourists are contributing to the feeding problem, or how much either group is responsible for the growing flock.

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