By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Who would imagine that adults could get so emotional over chickens?

The Honolulu City Council heard public testimony this week on a bill aimed to control noisy roosters in residential areas. Bill 71 would require chickens to be kept in enclosures, and for those enclosures to be set back a minimum of 300 feet from any adjoining residential, resort, apartment or apartment mixed use zoning district, which, in many neighborhoods, is just about impossible given the size of house lots.

On one side are people upset because their peaceful homes and restful nights are disturbed by the piercing blasts of roosters crowing. People who don't sleep well can get pretty emotional.

On the other side are the people who keep chickens as pets, have always kept chickens as pets, think a house is not a home without a bunch of chickens running around the yard. A lifelong chicken man about to lose his chickens can get pretty emotional. Just about as emotional as a person who hasn't slept well in a couple of years.

Some argued that chickens are simply not pets, that they are strictly farm animals that have no business in residential neighborhoods.

Others, such as James Manaku, pointed out that residential neighborhoods are sprawling farther and farther into what used to be rural O'ahu. Manaku told a story about a woman not too many years back who didn't want to live in Kaimuki because it was "too country." "Which came first, the chicken or the rezoning?" Manaku asked.

Others, like 78-year-old George Rosete, talked about how dear their birds are to them. He told the council, "If you pass this bill, what they going to do with the birds then? It's like they killing me instead of killing my birds."

Another gentlemen put it more succinctly: "I vote. And I love my chickens."

All the pro-chicken and anti-chicken testimony seemed to shake loose a bit of nostalgia in the council members themselves.

Councilman Jon Yoshimura reminisced about the time his schoolteacher parents brought home an incubator filled with eggs. For 21 days, he recalled, he carefully turned those eggs as though he were the mother hen. The chicks hatched, and soon were part of the household, waiting at the edge of the yard for the kids to come home from school.

"One day," said Yoshimura, "I came home from school, and the chickens were gone."

"They didn't cook 'em, eh?" Council Chairman John DeSoto interjected, a note of worry in his voice.

No, the chickens were given away, Yoshimura assured DeSoto, perhaps because his family lived in a residential area of Wailuku, Maui, and not an upcountry farm area. Yoshimura wasn't sure. But his point was, "I do understand the emotional attachment to them."

"I had a chicken who had a duck as a mate," De Soto said. Then launched into a story about his dog, Kamuela, and his beloved horses. "To me, they're more than pets. They're like my kids. No offense to my kids. When my mare gave birth earlier this year, it felt like I was a grandfather again. I wish I could have my horse in my yard, but I can't because of where I live."

"I grew up on a farm," council member Duke Bainum offered.

Council member Romy Cachola told a story about his son's unsuccessful attempt at hatching eggs in an incubator.

"Today I found out from Pam Burns (of the Hawaiian Humane Society) that only fertilized eggs can possibly hatch," he joked.

The chicken owners in the room smiled and nodded.

The council members decided to take Bill 71 back into committee. "We will look for a compromise position and focus on the noise issue and the difficulty of enforcing such a law," said Cachola.

"We will try to come up with a bill with amendments that solve as many problems as possible," said Yoshimura.

And there it was. An emotional issue, concise testimony, thoughtful discussion, a sincere attempt to find a win-win situation. Who would imagine chickens would bring out the best in our democratic process?

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.