CHICKEN farmers won't be scrambling to buy sound systems for their henhouses, despite eggs-pert opinion that music helps birds to lay more eggs.

The National Farmers' Union has been making a song and dance over a new survey which shows that hens who listen to music are calmer, can lay more eggs, and suffer less illness.

A survey by eggheads at the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, revealed that:

96 per cent of farmers who played music said their birds were more calm

20 per cent said their birds suffered less illness

16 per cent said their chickens laid more eggs

More than half said their chickens were less aggressive.

National Farmers Union deputy president Tony Pexton said the survey showed how far farmers would go to keep their animals happy.

But local producers are none too egg-cited. David Barrett, manager of Trawden Forest Eggs, Colne, said: "Hens are frightened by loud bangs and other noises, and that can affect how many eggs they lay.

"The music would cover up other noises, and that's about the only advantage I can think of.

"You could have speakers giving out a low pitched drone to cover up sounds that might frighten the hens, and that would probably work just as well."

Bill Holmes, managing director of J Rainford and Sons, Brindle, said: "Our chickens might like to hear a slow foxtrot - the slower the better! Or we could try playing them Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan!"

"The NFU seem to be pushing it quite seriously, but I think it's a bit of a joke.

"There are radios playing in our egg collection areas but they are as much for the benefit of the staff as for the chickens.

"We haven't tried it in the sheds, although we might consider it."

Staff at Petre Eggs, Wilpshire, said they were busy enough without playing music to their birds.

The gentleman who answered the phone laughed then crowed: "We have 30,000 chickens on this farm. I don't think they'd all want to listen to the same thing!"

THE LAY-TEST TOP 20

1. I'm So Egg-cited - Pointer Sisters

2. Cold Turkey - John Hennon and Yolk-o Ono

3. Lay-la - Eric Clapton 4. The Birdie Song - Tweets

5. Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan

6. Gimme Shell-ter - The Rolling Stones

7. Three Little Birds - Bob Marley

8. Cluck-odile Rock - Elton John

9. Kentucky (Fried Chicken) Rain - Elvis Presley

10. Do the Funky Chicken - Rufus Thomas

11. Little Red Rooster - The Rolling Stones

12. Whites in Night Satin - Broody Blues

13. Baby Come Back - Pato Bantam

14. I Would Rather Go Bind - Chicken Shack

15. Rock Around The Cluck - Bill Haley and his Comets

16. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Middle Of The Road

17. Chick-ago - Frank Sinatra

18. Eggs-o-dus - Bob Marley

19. Birdhouse In Your Soul - They Might Be Giants

20. Eggs-press Yourself - Madonna

Any more chicken hit ideas? Tell us if you know of chicks who dig pop or give us your own top hen suggestion!

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