Cockerels at the Feedstore

The two metal wire cages, containing 4 mix breed cockerels and 1 lavender Cochin bantam.

A few days ago, I went to a feed-store called Benedict's Home and Garden to get some Blue Seal chicken feed. Before, I had bought a big bag of grower crumbles by the brand name of Poulin from a family owned feedstore, the chicks didn't appreciate it so I went out to get their regular grower pellets. When I arrived at Benedict's, I got two bags of feed, a small metal pet feeder bin, a small bag of grower feed, and a larger one of layer pellets for Mellow who had just started laying. Outside as I waited for the workers to bring out the feed, I noticed two wire cages stacked on top of each other. Usually they would contain production pullets that the store had grown themselves, but this time as I peered at the cages, I saw a couple of mix breed cockerels and notably a lavender Cochin rooster. This was quite unusual, because Benedict's did not sell Cochins, perhaps a customer had sold their rooster to them. I felt a bit sorry for the roos, because they were kept on uncomfortable and dirty metal wire, and at that particular day it was freezing , they were all standing, huddled for warmth.

The pretty little lavender Cochin.

Top and bottom: A young crossbreed rooster with the older Cochin.

Top and bottom: The 3 mixed breed cockerels on the bottom cage, they probably have some Barred Rock and Leghorn in their lineage from the feathering and earlobes. But they relatively look like an auto-sexing breed, like a Cream Legbar or Bielefelder. A hatchery quality Cream Legbar would be more agreeable but this feedstore only sells more common breeds like Rhode Island Reds (RIRs), Red Sex Links, and Buff Orpington, the leg colors of the cockerels are also not right (for a Cream Legbar).