Why did the chicken cross the road?

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Chicken wrangling is easy if you are dealing with average-sized roosters. But at Mr. Whiskers, there is no such thing as an average-sized rooster.

Just ask Jack Brown. He has been the chief chicken wrangler at the business on U.S. 61 South for the past year — ever since the business has been selling the 9-foot high, 900-pound variety.

Monday morning, Brown spent most of his time tying up one of the aluminum feathered friends to the back of a trailer to be shipped to a lucky customer in Baton Rouge. With straps and ropes, Brown tried to keep the bird contained before loading up other sculptures onto the trailer bed.

Email newsletter signup

The aluminum sculptures are shipped from Mexico and then custom painted to the customers specifications.

In the last year, the gargantuan chickens have been popular buys at the shop. And though the average passerby may take a second look at the giant fowl outside, unique merchandise is nothing new for Brown and the Mr. Whiskers’ staff. The store sells a bit of everything, including yard art, Christmas trees and crawfish.