Short answer: Enjoy them, photograph them, but don’t feed them. Hawaiʻi’s 2024 feral chicken law specifically calls for a public education campaign against feeding wild chickens, because feeding makes the problem worse ([Maui Now](https://mauinow.com/2024/07/02/governor-signs-bill-to-help-tame-flocks-of-feral-chickens-in-hawai%CA%BBi/)).
The five rules
- Don’t feed them. Handouts grow flocks and make birds bolder around people (Maui Snorkeling).
- Guard your food. Keep picnics covered, clean up crumbs, and use trash cans with lids.
- Slow down on the road. Chickens cross whenever they like. Brake gently; never swerve into traffic.
- Leave chicks alone. Don’t chase, catch or pick up birds. Mother hens defend their young, and some birds are someone’s flock.
- Don’t take one home. Moving live birds between islands or off-island is regulated, and catching them stresses the birds.
Why locals care
To you, a rooster is a fun photo. To a resident, it may be the bird that woke the family at 3 a.m. for the hundredth night. Noise, droppings and torn-up gardens are why the state passed its feral chicken law (Maui Now). Environmentalists also worry about the effects of feral animals on endangered native wildlife (Star-Advertiser).
Respect the moa
Moa arrived with Polynesian voyagers and have meaning in Hawaiian culture: their feathers adorned chiefs’ kāhili, and for some families the moa is an ʻaumakua, a family guardian (Hemomi). Watching quietly and respectfully honors both the birds and the people who live alongside them.
Sleeping through the crowing
Pack earplugs, run a fan or white-noise app, and ask your host for a room away from the yard. Or embrace it: it’s Maui’s free alarm clock.