HONOLULU (KHON2) – With the price of eggs drastically going up in Hawaii, are more people thinking about buying their own chickens and having daily fresh eggs?

Unlike most mainland cities and towns, Hawaii doesn’t have wild squirrels but instead has a bunch of wild chickens. You can see them at almost every park, abandoned parking lots and around popular outdoor shopping areas. 

Although there are feral chickens walking around Hawaii, owning chickens that produce farm fresh eggs daily is very different. 

According to Hawaii’s laws regarding chickens as pets, those in Honolulu County are only allowed to have two chickens and peafowl per household except in areas where more animals are allowed. 

During the pandemic when many people were working from home, owning your own chickens and having fresh eggs became popular. 

Many chicken breeders throughout the island saw an increase in sales that has carried over to today. 

Paradise Poultry on the Big Island said they have filled many orders for the year 2022 and will be completing the rest of their orders during their 2023 spring hatching season. 

They ship their locally hatched and raised chicks to neighbor islands. For more information click here.

When preparing to house your chickens you need to make sure they are in a safe environment. 

This means moving chickens away from anything that will disturb them like heavy traffic, barking dogs, stray cats and small children. 

It’s also important chickens are located away from your neighbor’s property and have a black-out box which reduces the amount of stimulation.

The Hawaiian Humane Society recommends having a blackout box under a shady area for your chickens to enjoy. 

They suggest having a raised crate because its raised bed provides ventilation and can be easily covered.

For more information about Honolulu’s laws on owning backyard chickens head to Hawaiian Humane’s website or click here to view Honolulu County ‘s animal nuisance law.