Cockfighting probe leads to area farm

Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday found 92 chickens living in dirty, inadequate conditions at a Snohomish-area farm they believe was used to raise birds for cockfighting.

One chicken in poor health died while Snohomish County sheriff's deputies were on site, Detective Larry Cole said.

Animal-control workers and deputies found some birds crowded into pens and cages, while others had no shelter, Cole said. There also wasn't enough water for the birds, he said.

Six chicks were found dead in one pen at the farm in the 9100 block of 113th Drive S.E.

The 92 live birds couldn't be rehabilitated and they were euthanized.

Fighting is bred into game fowl and even the chicks wouldn't have been safe to release to the public, Cole said.

The search was preceded by an eight-month investigation. Detectives learned about the game farm through a tip from the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society told police about www.pilchuckgamefarm.com, a Web site advertising a game-fowl-raising and -selling operation.

"my name is Francisco im a second generation breeding game fowl... ," text on the Web site read. "we care our fowl since day one till they are ready for the pit."

The Web site included a photo gallery of cocks with descriptions like "nine month old pure bacon warhorse his dad is proven three times ... ," and "my best yellow leg grey ... they alway's want to fight very eazy to handle."

The owner of the farm was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals and animal fighting, but not taken into custody, sheriff's officials said. The case will be referred to the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office for charges, officials said.

"We have been aware of cockfighting and brought it to animal control repeatedly," said Susan Michaels, founder of Pasado's Safe Haven, a Monroe-based animal-welfare organization. "We think Snohomish County is just a bastion for it."

Leslie Anne Jones: 206-464-2745 or ljones@seattletimes.com