How One Chick Birthed a Movement

Brian Burns and Patricia Xavier Burns never anticipated their encounter with a baby chick could blossom into a dream to save as many feral chickens as possible in Hawaiʻi.

Patricia—a part time bartender at Chief’s Lūʻau at the time—was in the middle of crafting a Mai Tai during a busy service when one of her coworkers alarmed her about a baby chick that was drowning in a pool nearby. Patricia dropped the Mai Tai mixture, asked the customer for a brief moment, and she ran toward the pool. When she found the chick and removed it from the pool, it was far too small, wet, and cold, a usually fatal mixture for a young and feathered life. Many people would have given up on rescuing the tiny chick, spending little time warming its bloated body, but not Patricia. She spent what felt like forever trying to nurse and warm the baby back to life. When the chick stabilized enough, Patricia attempted to return it to its mother, but her efforts were futile as the hen would not accept it.

After 20 minutes of rescue, Patricia returned to her spot behind the Lūʻau bar top where she reunited with the Mai Tai customer. He was kind and gracious, not at all impatient over the wait, so Patricia completed a new drink and asked for his name—Constantine.

Constantine was from Bethesda, Maryland, serendipitously hailing from the same place where Patricia’s children were born. Coincidence? Patricia disagrees. She knew she had found the namesake of her chick, a baby she would keep, raise, and name Constantine.

Patricia called home to Brian and relayed the story of her rescue, her newfound love for this innocent avian, and her desire to bring him home. Brian, playing Call of Duty on a rare night off from work, was worried and displeased. He told Patricia they did not have the proper resources or set up for a chicken and that their plan did not include keeping one.

However, some experiences, especially the emotional and fortuitous ones, are not planned.

After dropping off her coworker in ʻEwa after their shift, Patricia presented the baby Constantine in his tiny box to Brian. While Brian was initially exasperated and apprehensive, he immediately transformed once he laid eyes on Constantine. Patricia describes Brian as filled with “curiosity, concern, and then complete attachment.” Fewer than 12 hours later, they were scouring everything in the feed store to ensure Constantine was safe, warm, and loved.

A couple who has always loved animals, Patricia and Brian’s passion for these living beings deepened immensely once Constantine entered their lives. Brian grew up in Philadelphia, so he didn’t encounter chickens on a regular basis. With Constantine now as their feathered baby, Patricia and Brian realized how intelligent, social, affectionate, and sensitive chickens truly are. Fellow rescuers and chicken lovers agree with their observation, especially experiencing the individual personalities and behaviors chickens have.

When Patricia ran toward the pool to rescue Constantine from drowning during her shift, she opened a world of love that chickens provide. She and Brian hand-raised Constantine, giving him more love, care, and attention than any of them could have imagined. In return, Constantine became, what she describes, “the sweetest rooster imaginable, gentle, social, and full of personality. He was not just a rescue. He was the beginning.”

Like all “chicken people,” Brian and Patricia became extremely passionate about rescuing chickens. Chicken math took over and their home became a safe haven for numerous fowl from babies to adults. The responsibility of caring for these animals developed into a vision and a mission for Trooper’s Chicken Rescue—a compassionate rescue organization in Hawaii dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and lifelong care of chickens across the Hawaiian Islands.

Patricia’s compassion and quick instincts to save Constantine and Brian’s supportive love and care for the baby bird laid the foundation for a movement to rescue, house, and care for chickens for the rest of their lives on an unimaginable scale.