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I've been scouring these threads to read about life on the Big Island, and I'm so appreciative of all the information that has been shared. In preparation for our scouting trip in a few weeks, we've looked at hundreds of house listings online, read the HOA websites, checked out lava flow, investigated street paving/flooding, aaaannnndd dutifully examined each property on Google Maps to look for those rooster farms. Man, they are all over Puna!
Several of our otherwise-favorite properties are fairly close to rooster farms, or at least, WERE close at the time Google snapped the picture. When using G-maps to view a house we sold in Wyoming, it doesn't show the deck, fence, or garage that we built several years prior to selling. Thus, we know the picture is actually from 2014 at the very latest, despite the 2018 image date. Point being, we know we need to check things out on the ground there on the island, and at various hours of the day and days/nights of the week, before we get too excited about any specific property. It could be that some of those rooster farms are gone by now -- or that others have moved in nearby.
My question is this: has anyone ever tried to negotiate with a rooster farm owner regarding the use of crow collars? These collars don't completely eliminate the noise, but they do greatly reduce it. The collars run from $14-$28 each, and are reusable for new recruits whenever the old guys are, ahem, *permanently relocated.* They don't harm the rooster or restrict its daily activities. When the collar is removed, full-strength crowing returns immediately.
One hundred rooster collars would cost us $2800. We would gladly donate these to our rooster-loving neighbor(s). That would be a small price to pay for raising the property values and getting some sleep at night. It might even help us make friends with other relieved neighbors. But we aren't sure how such an offer would be perceived by local rooster owners, or how one might even find an opportunity to speak with such an owner, given the kapu signs and stern-looking dogs that seem to be standard equipment at these establishments.
Assuming we got past the initial contact hurdle, would such an offer be a huge faux pas? The last thing we would want is to create the impression that we are trying to force them to change to our ways. We want to make friends, not enemies. On the other hand, perhaps the rooster farm owners wouldn't mind the noise reduction, either, or the reduction in hostility from other neighbors. Without knowing the subtleties of local culture, we don't feel equipped to determine whether this is a good idea or a very, very bad one.
Please let me know your thoughts about this scenario, and if advisable, also please share your ideas about locally-appropriate ways to go about making such an offer. Thanks in advance!
A very, very bad idea and a very, very bad way to start off life in a new place. Rooster "farmers" have been doing their thing for decades, and the last thing they need is some mainland transplant coming in and telling them to change.
That's why you drive around and look at properties (and neighborhoods) before putting any money down on a house. Obviously what's there now may change, but at least knowing what's there now can give you a head's up on whether or not you can deal with it.
Thanks to both of you for sharing your thoughts. WhtViper1, by "move" did you mean, move our investigations to another part of the island? We haven't purchased anything yet, so my references to neighbors, etc., was all hypothetical.
It may very well be that Puna just isn't for us at all, but we just can't know till we spend some time looking around. Our first scouting trip is in a few weeks. After that, we plan to come and stay for a few months in the fall while we look around some more. In the meantime, I find the CD conversations about the island fascinating. Hearing diverse viewpoints always helps me figure out what is important to me, and what isn't.
In any event, it sounds like rooster collars are not the solution, so we have a few properties to cross off the viewing list. We thank you, as does our realtor!
Last edited by AlisonA; 04-17-2018 at 08:58 PM..
Reason: Typos
Location: Southernmost tip of the southernmost island in the southernmost state
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IMHO buying a property is always a roll of the dice. Years ago we had neighbors move in to a subdivision and effectively drive out about two thirds of the families around them-ours included, through extremely loutish/borderline illegal behavior. So even with due diligence when buying, you never can tell what the future holds. This is one of the reasons we bought a house on several acres.
But at least over in Puna, even if your neighbors have a rooster farm, the coquis will help drown out their crows
We live in central Honolulu i.e., we live in Town. Today, while leaving a supermarket, I spotted a gentleman on a nice looking, newer scooter exiting the parking lot with an impressive looking rooster perched between him and the handle bars. The site didn't surprise me.
As a side note, neither the rider nor the rooster were wearing helmets.
Roosters are so fawking obnoxious, it makes you wonder how on earth the owners of these farms, living among them, get any sleep whatsoever. Are they deaf, heavily drugged or what?
BC, we have experienced roosters during previous stays on Kauai and Molokai, but probably no more than 6 or 7 at a time...AND they were free to roam... so it wasn't like they were chained on the other side of our property. I can only imagine a whole farm (ranch?) of them. Even a mile or so away, it must be deafening.
Your question about how the rooster owners can possibly sleep was exactly why I thought they might be interested in an offer of free crow collars. By no means would I approach it like I knew better and was telling them to change to "mainland ways." However, it sounds like no matter how such an offer might be phrased, that is how it would be perceived. So I'm going to heed the advice given and not pursue this as a pre-purchase strategy for any rooster-adjacent properties. We will just look elsewhere. And that's a perfect example of why I love CD. Local advice is the best, every time.
Roosters are so fawking obnoxious, it makes you wonder how on earth the owners of these farms, living among them, get any sleep whatsoever. Are they deaf, heavily drugged or what?
Really, I'd like to know.
I'd venture a guess and say it's like someone who lives in the flightline of an airport, next to a freeway, close to a busy train track or has 5 or 6 yappy dogs; they get used to it and don't hear it anymore.
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But we aren't sure how such an offer would be perceived by local rooster owners, or how one might even find an opportunity to speak with such an owner, given the kapu signs and stern-looking dogs that seem to be standard equipment at these establishments. 
