This crime takes front page and in the first 10 minutes of the 10:00 news. I feel for frustration that farmers/ranchers have,  but with out-of-control violent crimes in the Central Valley local Law Enforcement should concentrate on Meth labs that seem to spring up in my town.

Just my thoughts. Full story below

When roughly 200 clucking chickens vanished this weekend from a Chowchilla farm, Madera County sheriff's deputies immediately suspected "fowl" play.

A tipster alerted deputies that a suspicious van was parked near the farm on Road 26 early Saturday morning, sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said. By the time deputies arrived shortly after 2 a.m., the van was gone -- and so were 200 chickens.

"This is the third time this farm has been hit for chickens" in the last two weeks, Stuart said.

Deputies tracked down the van and the chickens about 5 a.m. at Avenue 20 1/2 near Road 26 and arrested six people from Bakersfield, including three juveniles, on suspicion of conspiracy and possessing stolen property, among other charges. Arrested were Jose Ugalde Tovar, 31, Adrian Lopez, 22, Ernesto Ugalde, 18, two 17-year-olds and a 14-year-old. Only 177 birds were returned safely to the farm. A few of the roughly 200 chickens, valued at $1,062, suffocated in the van when they were stuffed into compartments, Stuart said.

"This is the first time we caught the culprit. We don't know if they are related to the other to break ins," Stuart said. She said it's unclear why suspects from Bakersfield traveled to Madera to rustle chickens.

"Were they planning to eat them or sell them?' Stuart said. "It's anybody's guess."