STORM2K

Turkeys Feel the Vibes Before Facing the Music

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's farming union has released a chill-out album to help turkeys keep calm in the understandably stressful run-up to Christmas.
Geoff Hemus is one of 300 U.K. farmers who will be playing recordings of Gregorian chants, whale calls and rustling forests to his 3,500 birds.

"At first they seemed rather bemused and started gobbling more. They didn't chill out, lie down and cross their legs. But then they got their confidence back," he told Reuters.

Farmers have long believed drowning out the crash and bang of farmyard life is good for birds.

"If they are less stressed, they eat more and put on more pounds," Hemus said.

National Farmers' Union spokesman Simon Rayner said there was already anecdotal evidence that birds like listening to the radio.

"So this is an experiment to find out which type of noise is most effective," he said.

However, Hemus's turkeys only have 2-1/2 weeks to relax before they have to face the music for Christmas.

The union plans to announce the number one turkey-soothing track next month.

I wonder if playing Christmas music would make the turkeys freak out?

At least turkeys in England (and everywhere else around the world) have one less holiday to worry about than the birds here.

GalvestonDuck wrote:At least turkeys in England (and everywhere else around the world) have one less holiday to worry about than the birds here.

That's true.

LOL... I just got a mental image of the gobbles with mp3 players..... never mind me and my active imagination... let the poor birds enjoy there last few days on earth.