Awhile back a friend came to visit and upon seeing our thirty chickens stalking about the yard, mentioned that she had raised them at one time as well. "Put a radio in the coop," she said, "it will increase your egg production."

I thought she was crazy, but was thinking about trying it, just to see if any of our hens would do the "funky chicken."

Do any of you have any experience with this matter? if so, what kind of station do the chickens prefer, gospel? Rock? Polka? Talk radio?

If I put the station on Rush Limbaugh, would the PETA folks picket my chicken coop?

I was thinking that if nothing else, a radio might help keep the foxes away, especially if I play lots of Billy Ray Cyrus!

Just a thought...

-- Chuck (woah@mission4me.com), December 30, 2001

Answers

Dont play anything to wild or they will be moshing and the eggs may break.... Never have heard of it but I bet it would keep critters away.....

-- John From maine (jrpif@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

I can't imagine them liking the crap..er I mean rap that my daughters listen to, I know I don't. I don't know, Chuck. I do keep track of daily egg production and it would be fairly easy to put a radio in the coop, perhaps an experiment is in order....

Stacy in NY-->donning her lab coat and safety glasses

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), December 30, 2001.

We don't have it in there for increased egg production but it just might work. We have it because they seem to like it. We keep it on NPR :-) BUT for the egg production it might work. We are getting about 2 dozen a day and I've heard that other people's chickens aren't getting very many eggs at all but we also use lighting to help that too.

-- Trisha-MN (coldguinea@netscape.net), December 30, 2001.

Chuck,

I accidentally ran a test on this one a few weeks back. My hens are inside the garage in their little chicken tractor with a 60 watt bulb over their roost (which is right next to the nests). When I was cleaning up, I left the radio on oldies (50's - 70's) for about a week, becasue I was too lazy to go turn it off. The hens didn't lay anymore than before, but like I said they allready get heat from the light and laying food, which gets me 3-4 eggs a day from 4 hens. Give up the radio and keep 'em draft free, warm, and the lights on 24/7. (Buy the way, my hens are completely surronded by chicken wire all the time, even during summer when they are outdoors so the foxes under the barn don't get'em. I move the tractor daily during the summer, and maybe that keeps the foxes from digging under, but I'm not sure. Winter finds them under lock and key in the garage.

-- Marty in KS (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), December 30, 2001.

Hi Chuck. I have heard both the reasons given for keeping a radio on in the chicken coop. I never have tryed it but when I was a kid my dad used to go to the dairy farms during milking. Everyone played music and everyone said it made the cows give more milk. I have to say that a barn with low music playing seemed more relaxing than a barn without music.

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), December 30, 2001.

George, you beat me to it. I have a friend that plays music to his milk cows and swears by it! I'm not sure about chickens, too much light is harmful, would too much music wear them out? You know, all that singing and dancing?

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.

Sorry Cowgirlone,You get first shot at the next one,o.k.?:-)

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), December 30, 2001.

George, you are soooo sweet!!! Thank You!!!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.

Being a "Countrysider"...I tried country music for my bockers. No egg or attitude change....in them.....my nerves were grating.

Then I remembered "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast, to soften rocks, or to bend a knotted oak." William Congreve.

Since he was a 17th century man.....he obviously meant CLASSICAL music....my favorite anyway! Our local NPR station plays just that quite a bit....so that's what I tuned it to, just like Trisha.

The girls seem calmer and they get to keep up with the best news going.

-- Jason in S.Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), December 30, 2001.

How about "Lay Lady Lay"??? I was tempted once but never got the intercom set up.

-- (Someone@somewhere.com), December 30, 2001.

I keep a radio on in my barn for my goats. Not sure if it helps milk production or not...but it gives them music to dance to!! Only oldies for them!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), December 30, 2001.

Well, my Chickens are not laying yet :-( Aaaand I just found out I have one rooster and five hens, not six hens!! Will keep hoping they will start laying soon. I will keep changing the station to see what stimulates production..Keep you posted if the "Golden oldies" produces golden eggs!! Well, maybe I will not tell.

Andy

-- Andrew Villavicencio (Andive68@earthlink.net), December 31, 2001.

A radio in the milk barn reminds me of when I was growing up-(in the late 50's & 60's)-Dad had a dairy & in the mornings my Dad was usually always there to help with the milking----he always had on WIBW /a radio station out of Topeka , Ks. in the dairy barn----( this station-usually gave the weather report & local singers would sing--- & give early morning talking---etc/etc/--) at night my Dad was not always there(as he also drove a cattle truck) & I would play KCMO out of Okla City---so the cows got some real rocking music in the evenings!!!!

One time a friend of Dad's who also had a dairy /said to my Dad one time----why do you keep some of those oldier cows /you have in your herd????? You would make more money & have more production if you got rid of some of them---(my Dad didn't know I heard them talking)----my Dad replyed to his friend-----a lot of time I have to be gone---& it is left up to my youngest, daughter to do all the milking by herself----I have /to have cows that will put up with her & her loud music & danceing in the milk barn!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if the radio helped or hindered our cows---but they sure were use to me rocking & danceing as I took care for them /during the milking process---sometimes a little singing--the faster & louder the music----the faster I went!!!!

Those old cows didn't seem to mind at all----They seemed to understand ---Dad is gone & we have to do all we can to help this kid & get the job done----

Thanks for the memories /the radio in the milk barn brought back!!!!

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), December 31, 2001.

a friend, an elementary schoolteacher said play classical or bluegrass. the hens will lay more eggs. something to do with a number octave theorm from ancient times. the animals respond to the golden something or other.....

-- js (schlicker54@aol.com), January 03, 2002.

With a lot of birds, when they are noisy life is good and when something is wrong they all get quiet. This is not necessarily the case with chickens, however having a radio going might drown out odd outside noises that might spook them. I do this with my semi-deaf dog. She will halfway hear something and start barking. To prevent this, I play the radio so that she thinks it's just something on the radio. That might work with chickens also.

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), January 05, 2002.