SCOTT GUTIERREZ THE OLYMPIAN YELM -- Thurston County sheriff's deputies investigating an animal cruelty complaint found about 50 roosters used for cockfighting, officials said Thursday.

The birds were found Wednesday caged or tethered together outside a barn on 138th Ave. S.E., south of Yelm, Capt. Dan Kimball said.

Two of the birds were handed over to animal services. The rest had to be put to death because they could not be rehabilitated, Kimball said.

A 22-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man who live on the property are under investigation for animal cruelty, but no one had been arrested by Thursday night, Kimball said.

Cockfighting, which is illegal in most of the United States, brings two roosters into a ring to fight.

The birds' natural spurs are removed and replaced with razor blades, which they use to slice and gouge each other.

Roosters used in cockfighting are bred to be aggressive.

Deputies also found razor blades and a bucket of blood in an area inside the barn that could have been used to stage cockfights, Kimball said.

"We believe, based on what we found, that there was cockfighting going on or they were training these roosters to become cockfighters," Kimball said.

Cockfights are typically held in front of spectators who gamble on which bird will win.

The state Gambling Commission was notified of the discovery, Kimball said.

Susan Arland, a Gambling Commission spokeswoman, said cockfighting rarely pops up on the enforcement radar.

The commission works closely with police on cockfighting investigations, Arland said.

The roosters were discovered by a deputy checking an animal neglect complaint. The deputy spotted a horse with a severe eye infection and three cows and two dogs that appeared to be in poor health. The deputy then applied for a search warrant, Kimball said.

Susanne Beauregard, director of Animal Services, said a cockfighting ring involving several hundred birds was broken up about eight years ago on Libby Road.

In that case, about 50 were placed into the shelter or in foster homes, she said.

The shelter learned from the experience that cockfighting roosters are very fragile birds, difficult to care for and find homes for, she said.

That's why so many of them have to be put down.

"It's kind of a shame, but then again, it's a shame they were raised like this," she said.

"You can't put them with any other chickens because they will kill the other roosters," she said.

The cows, dogs and horse found on the property all were placed in the shelter. The horse will need eye surgery, Beauregard said.

The people involved should at least be held accountable for the animals' treatment and storage costs, Beauregard said.

"They should at least bear the costs of that process."

Scott Gutierrez covers crime and law enforcement for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or by e-mail at sgutierr@olympia.gannett.com.