Most people can tell by the clucking of a chicken whether she is happy
Most people can tell how she is feeling by a chicken’s cluck. Scientists discovered this by having participants listen to a number of sound fragments in which the chicken expressed different emotions. The research provides a glimpse of the mystery: it could be that it is possible for other species to correctly interpret each other’s (emotional) signals.
The scientists are enthusiastic about the research, because it mainly means that chicken farmers can work in a more animal-friendly way in the future. Furthermore, the research suggests that it may be possible for vertebrates to at least partially understand the emotional signals of other vertebrate species. For example, the researchers write in their report that previous research had already shown that people can accurately assess the emotions of other animal species, such as dogs, pigs, silver foxes and now also chickens. The research has been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Sound clips
The scientists made the discovery by recording a total of 16 sound fragments and presenting them to a group of 197 participants. Eight of these sound clips were from chickens that had a reward in store. The remaining eight sound clips came from chickens experiencing different emotions. This showed that 69% of the participants could accurately indicate which chickens received a reward and which chickens were emotional. For the study, the scientists distinguished between four different types of sounds: rapid clucks, clucks (a typical sound for chickens that are not happy), whining sounds and food cries. The research shows that people found it particularly difficult to place the longer whining sounds correctly, but the shorter sounds were, overall, quite clear for most participants. It just seemed to be a bit more difficult for the elderly to properly identify the sounds. The scientists don’t yet know exactly why this is the case, but they speculate that it could be related to reduced hearing.
Signal system
The conclusions of the study are anything but boring. For example, the scientists suggest that it could be that several vertebrate species have developed the same kind of signaling system, in which they transmit emotions through sound. Not only that, it could well be that it is possible for some vertebrates to correctly interpret the emotions of other species. This would allow chicken farmers to hear the emotional state of their poultry. However, the researchers do not only look at the contemporary benefits that the research can provide. Thus, they suggest that, in the future, it might be possible to have one AIsystem to learn how to identify happy chickens, so that it can determine how happy the stable is in general. This way, all future chicken farmers can be sure that their chickens are happy, even if they have little experience. According to the scientists, this is an important step towards a friendlier world for poultry. This way you can be sure that your eggs come from a happy chicken.
