Chickens and music

[Bobby Basham]

Scarlatti, Bach, Sousa, Beethoven, Mozart, Bernstein, Tchaikovsky, Duke Ellington, Bacharach, Woody Guthrie, Gershwin...as long as it's relatively soothing and rhythmic, then I'm OK with it. Puccini gets a bit intense and so does Mozart.

Love me some Russian Folks...Tchaikovsky is my favorite, but give a stab at Rimsky-Korsakoff, Alexander Borodin (On the Steppes of Central Asia), Ippolitiv-Ivanov (Caucasian Sketches), Alexander Glazinoff, of course Rachminnov.

It may be a bit lush, but you can also add Dvorak's Slavic Dances, Brahms' Hungarian Dances, Liszt Rhapsodies, Strauss Waltzes etc. I don't think the chickens will appreciate you trying to waltz with them with their wings held out for an extended period of time.

Throw some nice concerti in there, too. I try to avoid the string quartets and the like, because they can get a little freaky at times. The list is endless how you want to set a mood, whether more laid back or on the perky side to keep them entertained and scratching.

Sorry, I'm a Classical Fanatic. --BB

 

[drumstick diva]

I had a Java Rice bird(cage bird) that loved to sing along with Elvis songs but, then she also did when she heard the vacuum going. No accounting for taste I guess.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Get some outdoor weather-proof speakers and string them throughout the run and coop. Look into PartsExpress.com for options. Some are even shaped like rocks and are used for backyards and patios.

 

[melearningasigo]

I sing to mine and they usually will all come near and just look at me. It cracks me up.

 

[Nardo]

We are one of about 50 24/7 Classical stations left in the country. The others are part-time with a bunch of commercial advertisements.

My babies had the station from day 1 unto this day, they're about 18 weeks old now. Some of that 20th century classical can get a little whacked out, but for the most part, our station is fine and choose that over hard rock any time. I think they may be able to handle some soft rock/country, something not too radical.

For many years, my weapon of choice has been this since I've been in the hard Gospel realm for many years...I have the same setup at home.
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But, there's another part of me sitting in the living room collecting dust...and hope to get back into it.

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I love the Classics, and have several thousand LP's (do people still play those) and hundreds of dollars worth of music scores. My hands are a little stiff now from playing those light organ keys all these years, but since I retired, hope to get back into the Classics and strengthen my hands again, maybe record some of my playing for the brats, even on a continuous 8-track or auto-reversing cassette or reel-to reel. I still have a bunch of recording equipment collecting dust right now.

It's possible to have a radio or whatever inside the house, and run speaker wires to the coop through some small pvc pipe, maybe buried and inch below the grass. My run isn't that far from the house, so the possibilities are endless.

I like old-school and still believe these old relics still have a place in our musical history...A lot of LP's were cut/remastered from the likes of these when this format was available...
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I think that "not-in-your-face" background music is an ideal setting and could be a sort of subliminal distraction to the little buggers. I think a rooster crowed in response when a baritone/tenor was bellowing out something though LOL.

BB loves his old stuff, and those that can, keep the music rolling! I'm blessed to have all these formats.

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Awesome collection. I sold all of my albums last time I made another move. I had a couple thousand. Took them to collector's records and got a couple bucks a piece, some even got five dollars! LOL. But I kept maybe 20-30 of the real cool original ones. Beatles White Album, Doors LA Woman, etc.

 

[Nardo]

Love me some Russian Folks...Tchaikovsky is my favorite, but give a stab at Rimsky-Korsakoff, Alexander Borodin (On the Steppes of Central Asia), Ippolitiv-Ivanov (Caucasian Sketches), Alexander Glazinoff, of course Rachminnov.

It may be a bit lush, but you can also add Dvorak's Slavic Dances, Brahms' Hungarian Dances, Liszt Rhapsodies, Strauss Waltzes etc. I don't think the chickens will appreciate you trying to waltz with them with their wings held out for an extended period of time.

Throw some nice concerti in there, too. I try to avoid the string quartets and the like, because they can get a little freaky at times. The list is endless how you want to set a mood, whether more laid back or on the perky side to keep them entertained and scratching.

Sorry, I'm a Classical Fanatic. --BB

Do not apologize for liking music. That's almost blasphemy.

 

[Rondack]

What about Scriabin?

 

[Rondack]

Do you think playing the right kind of music could make the chickens more broody?

 

[ranchodejo]

That's cool for the chickens enjoyment. In Britain they take chickens to senior facilities. The old folks love them. It reminds them of their youth because most grew up with chickens. I have some chickens that will hop on my lap for a little cuddling. It's a pleasant and relaxing experience for me and the chickens.

 

[Rondack]

Yes, chickens are very calm when they listen to music... so are you!