Locavore Movement Gains Steam

Raising chickens in your backyard is a fine thing. A fine thing. It’s part of our heritage:

Investigators who raided a Brooklyn apartment building Wednesday found a cockfighting factory, a breeding ground for brutality.

There were chicks a few months old and battle-scarred veterans — 59 in all, destined for the lucrative betting rings that pop up across the city.

“There is no ring here, but they were breeding and housing them for the fights,” said Al Lombardo, deputy chief of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’ investigators.

“I love my birds,” Corchado, 40, protested as he was led away in handcuffs.

Cages of the raging roosters were stacked three deep in the Arlington Ave. backyard. Shipping labels showed some were brought in from Puerto Rico.

Most had their combs cut off, making it harder for opposing birds to grab them. Other were shaved.

“I shave them because the weather is hot,” Corchado said.

Prosecutors scoffed at the excuse.

“They are placing razor blades on the birds’ legs to cut humidity? No, these animals were trained to kill everything around them,” said Deputy District Attorney Carol Moran.