Giusi > wrote:

> I buy them here, but they are not always big.

Same here. Such a hen is called Suppenhunh (soup hen) here and it is
instructive to see these emaciated specimens lying next to the
ultra-plump chicken destined for roasting or baking.

> They are often sold by the
> half, too, which I think reflects that it may be mostly older people who
> know to use them.

Here, they are generally sold whole.

> We can also buy young roosters labeled exactly that.

Sold here as "(Brat)Hähnchen", but this does not mean they are really
roosters. In the supermarket, "Hähnchen" tend to be interchangeable
with "Hühnchen"... I do not know if it is different in Italy.

Victor