As we scramble to find eggs and chicken pieces in the midst of the Avian flu that's undermined our poultry production, there's an answer that may speed that production up.
You may have heard of the salutary effects of classical music on vines. Certain estates in the Cape swear by a Bach fugue or a Beethoven sonata en plein aire. But it's not only vegetative matter that benefits from the sound of music.
Chickens are equally susceptible to the dulcet tones of an orchestral manoeuvre or two and research had shown that they're partial to a bit of baroque.
In New Zealand, the Boston brothers of the eponymous free-range chicken farm have been playing tunes to their chicks for years to great calming and reproductive effect. And now they've upped the ante and commissioned an entire orchestra to play an original composition called Chook Symphony No 1 by Hamish Oliver.
The 36-piece orchestra gathered in their finery on a recent morning to give a performance — and they literally brought the chickens home to roost. The birds went about their business as usual — but the composer felt that this was as it should be. The work built in the tonal range familiar to your typical farmyard fowl — screeching, clucking and crowing — which is best represented by oboes, trumpets and bassoons. It was met with apparent indifference from the select audience ... which is a good thing because nobody cried fowl.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.