Until now, the city’s pest control vendor has only trapped and removed feral chickens from city-owned properties. But a new contract with Sandwich Isle Pet Solutions makes those services available to private property owners as well.
Noisy chickens are one of the top complaints the city receives, said Kim Hashiro, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services.
Only calls about park maintenance, homelessness, broken traffic signals and faded street signs beat out those of feral chickens.
Since February, the City and County of Honolulu has received more than 100 nuisance complaints about feral chickens.
“It really is primarily the noise and the nuisance that the roosters create when they crow, especially very early in the morning,” Hashiro said.
“But in addition to that, it’s also the effect chickens have on property with their droppings — it's unsanitary. And then also the impact on household pets, so dogs and cats and how they react to the chicken. So, it is multi-pronged, but it's primarily the nuisance issue with the noise," she said.
Many complaints come from around Ala Wai Neighborhood Park, Beretania Community Park and Kailua District Park, Hashiro said.
Under the new contract, the city will cover its portion of the costs through a budgeted $50,000 this fiscal year. This will include the cost to trap, remove or dispose of feral chickens.
“It's not an issue that seems to be tapering off. It continues to be a problem in many communities. And again, like I mentioned, because of the nuisance primarily of the crowing of the roosters,” Hashiro said.
“So that's the reason why the city is putting effort and resources into this program. Because we're trying to respond as best we can to the concerns from the community.”
Requests for services can be made by calling 808-456-7716 or visiting sandwichisle.com.
