The week my hostel had a rogue chicken problem in Thailand

I booked a $6 a night place in Chiang Mai thinking I was saving big money. Day one was fine, but day two arrived with a rooster living under the laundry sink who crowed at 4 AM sharp. The owner said he was "just a local friend" and couldn't be removed because he was lucky. By day three, the chicken had learned to open my door by pecking the handle latch. I spent a whole morning chasing him around with a broom while my roommates laughed at me. The kicker was when he laid an egg in my backpack on day five and the owner tried to charge me for "farm produce." Anyone else ever had weird animal guests ruin their cheap stay?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah4001mo ago

Wait, hold on. Roosters don't lay eggs. Only hens do. So that chicken you were chasing was a hen, not a rooster. Big difference in the pecking order, honestly. Hen probably crowed because she was stressed out or confused. That egg in your backpack was a real power move, though. Owner trying to charge you for it is pure gold. Classic Thailand hostel logic right there.

olivia_moore1mo ago

Honestly, you just changed my mind. I always thought only roosters crowed and that was that. Never really thought about it, just assumed. But the way you explained it makes total sense - a hen crowing because she's stressed or confused. That egg in the backpack really was a power move though, that hostel owner probably didn't know what hit him.

karen_sanchez491mo ago

Oh man, you gotta be ready for anything with chickens! I learned that lesson the hard way staying at a farm stay in Costa Rica. One minute you think you know who's boss, next thing you know a hen is crowing loud enough to wake the whole village. Practical tip: keep a small bag of crushed oyster shells in your backpack. If a hen starts crowing, toss a handful near her. It calms them down and gives them something to peck at. Trust me, it works way better than trying to catch them. And that hostel owner charging for the egg? Next time just tell them you're collecting evidence for a noise complaint. They'll back off real quick.