About 500 Chickens Seized From 2 Farms

Sites Suspected of Being Cockfighting Operations

Authorities in Loudoun County have seized about 500 chickens from two farms in the Lovettsville area suspected of being cockfighting operations and where roosters were found tethered, caged and with body parts amputated, according to county officials and court records.

On Sunday, Loudoun County Animal Care and Control officers seized more than 400 roosters and hens from a residence in the 38000 block of Sierra Lane. The next day, about 100 fowl were seized at a nearby property in the 12000 block of Berlin Turnpike after a tip that game birds were being fought on the property, according to officials and court records.

It is unclear whether the two operations are related, and no charges have been filed, officials said. A veterinarian examined the birds yesterday, and a judge will determine tomorrow whether the owners can retain custody of the birds.

If charges are brought, the cases would represent the largest seizure of animals connected to animal fighting in Virginia since harsher laws against the practice took effect Oct. 1 in the wake of the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal, said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. The new laws prohibit the housing of animals with the intent to use them for fighting, regardless of whether gambling is connected, and animal fighting can now be prosecuted as a felony, said Goodwin, who lobbied for the measures.

"We're talking about a felony blood sport where animals are set against each other just so gamblers can see which animal will kill the other first," Goodwin said. "They're wearing knives. They're slashing each other to pieces, and it's just for titillation."

Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney James E. Plowman said his office is in talks with animal control officials and will decide whether to bring charges in both cases after tomorrow's hearing.

"It appears at first glance that he's breeding them for purposes of fighting," Plowman said of the occupant of the Sierra Lane property, the larger operation. "From what I understand, he's selling them for over $1,000 apiece. . . . These aren't regular roosters you're going to find on Farmer John's farm."

A man who answered the door at the gated Sierra Lane site, where roosters could be heard crowing, declined to comment.

At the Berlin Turnpike residence -- where a large statue of a rooster sat prominently in the front yard -- a man who identified himself as the brother of the property owner said the chickens were used only for their eggs and for a "hobby," not for fighting.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jason Faw said that roosters were found tethered to barrels spaced apart to keep the fowl from attacking each other and that the body parts of some had been clipped in apparent preparation for fighting.

Although in county custody, the animals have remained at both properties under supervision of animal control officers because the county's animal shelter is not equipped to handle that many birds, animal control spokeswoman Laura Rizer said. Rizer declined to discuss specifics in the cases. The seizure at the Sierra Lane property resulted from an anonymous tip, too, and the site has been under investigation by animal control since early summer, Rizer said.

According to a search warrant affidavit, the tip about the Berlin Turnpike residence also said a fight was scheduled for Monday night. After the search, court records show, officers recovered several items that Goodwin said are common to the cockfighting world, including four "training mitts" -- miniature boxing gloves placed on the animals to test their strength in mock fights -- antibiotics, trophies, and gamecock books and magazines. Red wax string was also found, which Goodwin said is often used to tie blades to the animals before fights.

Goodwin said he visited the Sierra Lane property about eight months ago, after getting an anonymous tip about poor conditions for animals there. He said that from the road, he observed several tethered roosters and that there were far more roosters than hens, both of which he called signs of a cockfighting operation.

Roosters used for cockfighting typically come from an aggressive breed, which necessitates separating them on a farm, Goodwin said.

Staff writer Kafia Hosh contributed to this report.