920 chickens slaughtered at Foster Farms ranch with golf club

FRESNO, Calif. — Authorities in central California are searching for one or more suspects who broke into a Foster Farms chicken ranch and killed more than 900 birds with a golf club.

Fresno County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the facility in Caruthers, less than 20 miles south of Fresno, on Sept. 20 and found hundreds of birds slaughtered, officials said Tuesday.

“Psychopathic behavior. It’s sick behavior,” Deputy Chris Curtice told KPIX-TV. “You can’t do that much damage to animals and not have blood on your clothing. We want to find out who they are and get them off the street.”

The suspects apparently pulled back a fence to gain access to a chicken shed and massacred 920 chickens with a golf club and possibly another instrument, officials said. Investigators found a piece of a golf club at the scene.

Foster Farms is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution.

“The perpetrator committed an unconscionable act of animal cruelty,” the company said in a statement. “This appears to be a random act of violence. It is the express policy of Foster Farms to treat its birds humanely and with compassion. Any intentional act to the contrary is unacceptable.”