Over 100,000 chickens are dead after water lines were cut and power was turned off at four chicken houses north of Petrey early this morning.

The cooling fans and other equipment was turned off and several water lines were broken at the chicken houses on Shady Grove Road.

Crenshaw County Sheriff’s Department investigator Ronnie White said it seems like the attack was perpetrated by someone with knowledge of the operation.

“The security system and alarms were cut off, and so were all the backup systems that should have kicked in,” White said.

The chickens were fryers and were set to be harvested next Wednesday.

The crime was discovered around 6 a.m. this morning.

The investigation is being conducted by the Crenshaw County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, state forensics lab and the Department of Agriculture.