Guam Chickens

Chickens run everywhere here.  And yes, they are always crossing the road.  They must be pretty smart about it though, because I haven't seen one dead by the road yet.   There is no use complaining about your neighbor's rooster crowing.  It seems like every neighbor has not just one rooster, but a half dozen crowing day . . . and all night.  They are two breeds here, descendants of Pacific Jungle fowl, and more recently Game fowl were added.  They really are beautiful birds, especially the roosters, with long iridescent tails.  I hear that the rooster population goes up, until cock fighting season.

 When William was out searching for photos in the back yard, he found this mama hen sitting in a drain ditch, sheltered in by vines and flowers.  It really was a good hiding place, I thought.  I could just see her from the back balcony, and wondered how soon I would see her leading little cheeps around the yard.  But Sunday night there was a ruckus with loud voices and flashlights searching our yard, and the neighbor's yards.  The chickens were all upset and loudly protesting.  Every one must have ran for their lives, except this little mama, still hiding in the weeds and vines, thinking she was safe.  There was a terrible, heart rending sound, then the loud voices and laughter receeded through the banana plants back to where they came from.

The next morning there was just an egg and a bare spot to show where she used to sit.

This mama and her chicks were still safe.  I don't know where she lives, but she really likes to bring her brood through our front yard.  Every day they look a little bigger.  Her black coloring shows she is mostly of the Pacific Jungle Fowl variety.

 

When ever I go out to watch her, she watches me more closely, and moves her chick to a safer distance.  I think she is a really good mama.  If we lived here more permanently, we would set up an egg business, because it seems there is no place to get farm fresh eggs on island.  The only eggs available to purchase are pale yolked eggs from mainland America, for an exorbitant price.   If we ended up with more roosters then we needed, we could just set them free.  No one would mind. 

Now I'd like to get some photos of the pretty roosters running around, but they don't seem to stand still for very long.