Chicken Dance

The current HKMagazine has a funny interview with a local poultry farmer named Fong Chi-hung who gains a competitive edge in the market by serenading his chickens with tunes prior to slaughter.
HK: You call your farm the “musical farm” because you play music to your chickens. What inspired you to do that?
FC: When I first started my farm it was no different than any other. But after Sars I realized that people cherish their health and are willing to spend more on food which is high quality. So I wondered how I could make the quality of my produce really stand out? I started doing research and asking experts then discovered that musical therapy for farm animals is common overseas, but mostly for cows and ducks. So I thought, can I try this method on chickens?

HK: What kind of music do you play to your chickens? How do you know if they like it?FC: We have played all different kinds of music to them over the years. At the very beginning I played mellow Cantopop songs to them, like those by Twins. But they didn’t seem to react to it much. Next I played them some of Beyond’s songs and first they “chickened-out” a bit but after a while they started to move with the rhythm. Finally I tried some disco music on them and they all freaked out but miraculously, after two weeks, they all became “less chicken-like”—for example, they weren’t afraid of strangers anymore. After a while I decided to go to a record store and ask what music the staff would recommend for young children. They said Mozart. So I tried classical on them as well. You can tell if they like the music by whether they dance with the groove or not.

HK: Do they like Cantopop?
FC: Cantopop is useful because it gets them familiar with Cantonese so they aren’t scared when they hear people talking in the farm. But it gets annoying after a while so then I play them English songs or hip-hop.

HK: What kind of stereo do you use?
FC: I used to play music with a portable stereo but recently we installed a full hi-fi system with speakers in every corner of the farm. This ensures that every chicken can hear the music at the same volume.

HK: How different does the chicken taste after musical therapy?
FC: They are tastier because of the psychological benefits they get from listening to music. When chickens panic, the texture of their meat worsens. But chickens that listen to music are calmer and better balanced. Also, because they dance with the music, their muscles can be better developed therefore giving their meat a fuller texture.